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
Recent Examples on the Web
In the 1980s, mathematicians began to find deep and surprising connections between these equations and other areas of mathematics: in statistical mechanics and the study of phase transitions, in knot theory and string theory, in number theory and representation theory and the study of symmetries.
—
Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
Ribbon knots, like the optimal trefoil knot, are used to model DNA in molecular biology, while providing a gateway to more abstract questions investigated in the area of knot theory.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
For most of their history, tie knots and knot theory developed in parallel.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
Contemporary physicists apply knot theory to quantum mechanics and the winding paths that particles take through space-time.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
With its suggestion of elegant simplicity within the world of knots, it’s become one of the most high-profile problems in knot theory.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2023
Quantum computing uses a similarly computationally difficult trick, thanks to knot theory.
—Eric Wolff, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2010
This idea was behind one of the biggest recent results in knot theory.
—Quanta Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
In one noteworthy discovery, deep learning helped mathematicians develop a formula related to knot theory, the study of 3D curves that cannot be untangled.
—Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2021
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Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024
Ribbon knots, like the optimal trefoil knot, are used to model DNA in molecular biology, while providing a gateway to more abstract questions investigated in the area of knot theory.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
For most of their history, tie knots and knot theory developed in parallel.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
Contemporary physicists apply knot theory to quantum mechanics and the winding paths that particles take through space-time.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023
With its suggestion of elegant simplicity within the world of knots, it’s become one of the most high-profile problems in knot theory.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2023
Quantum computing uses a similarly computationally difficult trick, thanks to knot theory.
—Eric Wolff, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2010
This idea was behind one of the biggest recent results in knot theory.
—Quanta Magazine, 31 Oct. 2022
In one noteworthy discovery, deep learning helped mathematicians develop a formula related to knot theory, the study of 3D curves that cannot be untangled.
—Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Knot theory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knot%20theory. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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