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SIAM Conf. on Math for Industry, Oct. 10, 2009. Carlo H. Séquin U.C. Berkeley. Modeling Knots for Aesthetics and Simulations. Modeling, Analysis, Design …. Knots in Clothing. Knotted Appliances. Garden hose Power cable. Intricate Knots in the Realm of.
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SIAM Conf. on Math for Industry, Oct. 10, 2009 Carlo H. Séquin U.C. Berkeley • Modeling Knots for Aesthetics and Simulations Modeling, Analysis, Design …
Knotted Appliances • Garden hose Power cable
Intricate Knots in the Realm of . . . • Boats Horses
Knots in Art • Macrame Sculpture
Knotted Plants • Kelp Lianas
Knotted Building Blocks of Life • Knotted DNA Model of the most complex knotted protein (MIT 2006)
Mathematicians’ Knots unknot • Closed, non-self-intersecting curves in 3D space 0 3 4 6 Tabulated by their crossing-number : = The minimal number of crossings visible after any deformation and projection
Pax Mundi II (2007) • Brent Collins, Steve Reinmuth, Carlo Séquin
The Simplest Real Knot: The Trefoil • José de Rivera, Construction #35 M. C. Escher, Knots (1965)
Composite Knots • Knots can be “opened” at their periphery and then connected to each other.
Links and Linked Knots • A link: comprises a set of loops • – possibly knotted and tangled together.
Two Linked Tori: Link 221 John Robinson, Bonds of Friendship (1979)
Borromean Rings: Link 632 John Robinson
Tetra Trefoil Tangles • Simple linking (1) -- Complex linking (2) • {over-over-under-under} {over-under-over-under}
Realization: Extrude Hone - ProMetal • Metal sintering and infiltration process
A Split Trefoil • To open: Rotate around z-axis
Splitting Moebius Bands • Litho by FDM-model FDM-modelM.C.Escher thin, colored thick
Knotty Problem • How many crossings • does this “Not-Divided” Knot have ?
Recursive 9-Crossing Knot 9 crossings • Is this really a 81-crossing knot ?
Knot Classification • What kind of knot is this ? • Can you just look it up in the knot tables ? • How do you find a projection that yields the minimum number of crossings ? • There is still no completely safe method to assure that two knots are the same.
Project: “Beauty of Knots” • Find maximal symmetry in 3D for simple knots. Knot 41 and Knot 61
Computer Representation of Knots String of piecewise-linear line segments. • Spline representation via its control polygon. But . . .
Is the Control Polygon Representative? You may construct a nice knotted control polygon,and then find that the spline curve it defines is not knotted at all ! • A Problem:
Unknot With Knotted Control-Polygon • Composite of two cubic Bézier curves
Highly Knotted Control-Polygons • Use the previous configuration as a building block. • Cut open lower left joint between the 2 Bézier segments. • Small changes will keep the control polygons knotted. • Assemble several such constructs in a cyclic compound.
Highly Knotted Control-Polygons • The Result: • Control polygon has 12 crossings. • Compound Bézier curve is still the unknot!
An Intriguing Question: First guess: Probably NOT Variation-diminishing property of Bézier curves implies that a spline cannot “wiggle” more than its control polygon. • Can an un-knotted control polygon • produce a knotted spline curve ?
Cubic Bézier and Its Control Polygon Two “entangled” curves With “non-entangled” control polygons Convex hull of control polygon Region where curve is “outside” of control polygon Cubic Bézier curve
Two “Entangled” Bezier Segments “in 3D” • NOTE: The 2 control polygons are NOT entangled!
The Building Block Two “entangled” curves With “non-entangled” control polygons
Combining 4 such Entangled Units • Use several units …
Control Polygons Are NOT Entangled … • Use several units …
But This Is a Knot ! Knot 72