The Knot Book: An Elementary Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of Knots

Over a century old, knot theory is today one of the most active areas of modern mathematics. Its study has led to important applications in DNA research and the synthesis of new molecules. "The Knot Book" makes research in knot theory accessible to a non-specialist audience. Colin Adams starts with the simplest knot (the trivial knot or unknot) and guides readers through increasingly more intricate twists and turns of knot theory, exploring problems and theorems mathematicians can now solve, as well as those that remain open.