prime knot

In mathematics, knot theory is the study of closed curves in three dimensions that cannot be deformed into a simple circle. These curves, or knots, are formed by interlacing a string and joining its ends. The complexity of a knot is measured by the minimum number of crossings in its planar projection. The simplest true knot is the trefoil knot, with three crossings. Knots that cannot be resolved into simpler combinations are called prime knots. Modern knot theory, which began with mathematicians like Carl Friedrich Gauss and Peter Guthrie Tait, has found connections to quantum field theory and hyperbolic geometry, with applications in various scientific fields.1