On Knots. (Am-115), Volume 115

On Knots is a journey through the theory of knots, starting from the simplest combinatorial ideas--ideas arising from the representation of weaving patterns. From this beginning, topological invariants are constructed directly: first linking numbers, then the Conway polynomial and skein theory. This paves the way for later discussion of the recently discovered Jones and generalized polynomials. The central chapter, Chapter Six, is a miscellany of topics and recreations. Here the reader will find the quaternions and the belt trick, a devilish rope trick, Alhambra mosaics, Fibonacci trees, the topology of DNA, and the author's geometric interpretation of the generalized Jones Polynomial.

Then come branched covering spaces, the Alexander polynomial, signature theorems, the work of Casson and Gordon on slice knots, and a chapter on knots and algebraic singularities.The book concludes with an appendix about generalized polynomials.

Author: Louis H. Kauffman
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 10/21/1987
Series: Annals of Mathematics Studies #115
Pages: 498
Weight: 1.51lbs
Size: 9.26h x 6.16w x 1.17d
ISBN: 9780691084350