C&O/PMATH Joint Colloquium - Patrick Naylor (RE-SCHEDULED)

Title: Is any knot not the unknot?

Abstract:

Ever wanted to learn something about knots? This is your chance! We'll talk about some basics of knot theory, including how to prove some intuitively `obvious' but mathematically tricky results.  Along the way, we'll see knot coloring invariants, polynomial invariants, and more. We'll even show how to produce a knotted surface: a sphere ($S^2$) in $\mathbb{R}^4$ that is `knotted'. This talk will be very accessible and will include many cool pictures.