How Complex Is a Knot? New Proof Reveals Ranking System That Works

Back in 1981, Cameron Gordon introduced a new way to relate two knots — mathematical constructs modeled after the knots that appear in a single thread or string. In his paper, he conjectured that this new relationship could be used to arrange groups of knots according to how complicated they are. This winter, Ian Agol, a mathematician at the University of California, Berkeley, posted a six-page…

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