Gearing up for an evening that'll tie your mind in knots, Utah State University's mathematicians are ready to unravel the complex world of knot theory. Seth Porter and Matt Young, USU's thinkers-in-residence on the abstract and confounding concept of knot theory, are scheduled to make sense of these intricate mathematical puzzles at USU's Science Unwrapped program on April 11. In a discussion that might just stretch your gray matter in unforeseen ways, these scholars are set to present "Untangling Knot Theory" at 7 p.m. in Emert Auditorium, according to USU Today.
The fascinating spiel isn't just about teaching you the ropes of rock climbing or securing your boat. It delves deep into the mathematical realm where a shoelace isn't a knot, to begin with. Porter, the 2024 Peak Undergraduate Research Fellow and USU's Scholar of the Year, says, "Look at the laces in your shoes, you may think they’re tied in a knot but, mathematically speaking, unless the ends of the laces are glued together, they’re not knots." You might also find yourself pondering over circles, as Young, the assistant professor adept at this field clarifies, "A knot refers to the embedding of a circle, or closed curve, into a three-dimensional space. A circle is an ‘unknot,’" as per USU Today.
The event, set in the Eccles Science Learning Center, bids every age, every mind to come on down for a free admission ticket to a brainy bash. It's the fourth presentation in the "Celebrate Undergrad Research" series running in tandem with the university's Year of Undergraduate Research. "Matt and Seth will present a brain-twisting topic in a fun and entertaining way," says Brynja Kohler, Science Unwrapped chair and professor at USU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, as obtained by USU Today.
