Joint student colloquium

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 4:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Janis Lazovskis, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo

"A gentle introduction to knots and knot invariants"

How many ways can you embed a circle in 3-space? This question is what motivates most of knot theory, and the first part of this presentation. Following a primer on the basics of knots, I will introduce some widely used knot invariants, from the Alexander and the Kauffman, to the Vasilievs and the Khovanov. Of the stronger ones, Vasiliev's invariants have a very combinatorial flavor, through the use of chord diagrams, while Khovanov's has a distinctly homological structure. Finally, if time permits, I will describe braid groups and the power that comes with this formalized approach.

Please note room change.

Refreshments will be served during the colloquium and everyone who attends is welcome to join us for food/drink at the Grad House following the Colloquium.