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Article
On Thickness and Packing Density for Knots and Links
Contemporary Mathematics (2002)
  • Robert Kusner, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Abstract

We describe some problems, observations, and conjectures concerning density of the hexagonal packing of unit disks in R2.thickness and packing density of knots and links in S3 and R3. We prove the thickness of a nontrivial knot or link in S3 is no more than 4 , the thickness of a Hopf link. We also give arguments and evidence supporting the conjecture that the packing density of thick links in R3 or S3 is generally less than √12 , the density of the hexagonal packing of unit disks in R2.

Publication Date
2002
Publisher Statement
This is the pre-published version harvested from arXiv. The published version is located at http://www.ams.org/books/conm/304/
Citation Information
Robert Kusner. "On Thickness and Packing Density for Knots and Links" Contemporary Mathematics Vol. 304 (2002)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_kusner/17/