knot theory
noun
: a branch of topology concerned with the properties and classification of mathematical knots
knot theorist
noun
Examples of knot theory in a Sentence
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The Scottish physicist and mathematician Peter Guthrie Tait began the systematic study of what would later become one of the biggest problems in knot theory: the classification of knots.
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Leila Sloman, Wired News, 8 Nov. 2025
These are some of the fundamental questions in the mathematical field of knot theory.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2025
Now, with the additivity conjecture decisively struck down, the knot theory community has a wide world to explore.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
For most of their history, tie knots and knot theory developed in parallel.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
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Leila Sloman, Wired News, 8 Nov. 2025
These are some of the fundamental questions in the mathematical field of knot theory.
—Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2025
Now, with the additivity conjecture decisively struck down, the knot theory community has a wide world to explore.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
For most of their history, tie knots and knot theory developed in parallel.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Knot theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knot%20theory. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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