Why Knot

Mathematicians unravel a long-standing conjecture about knot theory

- By Max Springer

SCANNING THE CROWD at a fancy soiree may reveal a wide array of neckties, each fastened with a highly complex mathematical object masquerading as fashion. An entire field of mathematics is devoted to understanding mathematical knots, which one can obtain from any traditional knot by gluing the loose ends together. Mathematicians long believed that if you attach cut ends of two different knots to each other, the new knot will be just as complex as the sum of the individual knots’ complexity. But researchers recently managed to find a knot that is simpler than the sum of its parts.