Title
Approximating the thickness of a knot
Department/School
Mathematics
Date
12-1-1998
Document Type
Book Chapter
Keywords
knots, thickness of knots
Abstract
The thickness of a unit length C2 knot is the radius of the thickest “rope” one can place about a knot at the instant that the “rope” self-intersects. Thickness is difficult to compute for all but a few examples. To use computers, a polygonal version of thickness must be defined. The most natural definition does not correctly approximate thickness so a different polygonal version is necessary. This paper contains a definition of a continuous polygonal thickness which correctly approximates smooth thickness. Results on approximation and continuity are stated and examples given of thickness approximations.
Published in
Series on Knots and Everything
COinS
Citation/Other Information
Rawdon, E.J. (1998). Approximating the thickness of a knot. In Ideal Knots, volume 19 of Series on Knots and Everything: 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789812796073_0009.