Seminars and Colloquiums
for the week of
August 29, 2005
SPEAKER: Assistant Professor Jim Conant
DATE: September 2, 2005
TIME: 3:35 p.m.
ROOM: 214 Ayres Hall
SPEAKER: Assistant Professor Jim Conant
TITLE: What lies beyond the Alexander polynomial of knots?
ABSTRACT: The Alexander polynomial is a knot invariant which can be defined through algebraic topology related to a knot’s complement. In a certain sense, this is a zeroth-order invariant in a filtration of knot invariants. I will discuss joint work with Ted Stanford and Jacob Mostovoy, where we analyze the first order invariants in this filtration, which seem to naturally assemble into a polynomial “beyond” the Alexander polynomial. I will also discuss implications this has concerning an old conjecture on how much the Alexander polynomial can see of a knot’s “handedness.”
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED IN ROOM 119 AT 3:00 P.M.