Krista Steuben

Knot theory is the study of mathematical knots, piecewise linear simpleclosed curves in R³. There are many different knot diagrams, or 2Dprojections of a knot, that represent equivalent knots. A main concern inknot theory is finding knot invariants, or properties of a knot diagram thatare the same for equivalent knots. One such invariant is the Jonespolynomial, discovered by Vaughn Jones in 1984. This talk will discuss thehistorical and contemporary significance of knot theory and will show thatthe Jones polynomial is a knot invariant. This talk should be easilyaccessible to undergraduate students.