Atlas home || Conferences | Abstracts | about Atlas

Geometric Topology II
September 29 - October 5, 2002
Inter-University Center, Dubrovnik; Department of Mathematics, University of Zagreb
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Organizers
Ivan Ivansic, University of Zagreb;, James E. Keesling, University of Florida;, Alexander N. Dranishnikov, University of Florida;, Sime Ungar, University of Zagreb

View Abstracts
Conference Homepage

Classifying polygonal chains of six segments
by
Gerard A. Venema
Calvin College
Coauthors: Tom Clark (Calvin College)

A polygonal chain is the union of a finite number of straight line segments in R3 that are connected end-to-end. Two chains are considered to be equivalent if there is an isotopy of R3 that moves one chain to the other while keeping the segments rigid. Each segment must remain straight during the isotopy and the lengths of the segments may not change, but bending and twisting are allowed at the joints between the segments. Chains may be knotted and stuck in this category even though all chains are topologically trivial. Cantarella and Johnston have classified polygonal chains with 5 or fewer segments. In this talk I will describe and classify all polygonal chains of 6 segments.

Date received: August 23, 2002

Copyright © 2002 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # caje-54.