BAMA presents, absolutely free
Abigail Thompson
of U. C. Davis
Taking us on a twisting adventure into

Some Knotty Problems


At San Jose State University
in the Engineering Auditorium
Room 189

on Wednesday, November 7, 2001
at 7:30 pm

When is a loop of string really knotted? Can one knot "cancel" another? Can you always unknot your garden hose? These are a few of the simple examples of deep questions in knot theory. The speaker will talk about these and other related questions in topology, a relatively new branch of mathematics whose ideas have penetrated nearly all areas of mathematical thought.

     Abigail Thompson earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1986 and spent a few years at UC Berkeley and Hebrew University of Jerusalem before coming to UC Davis, where she is now a Professor of Mathematics. Her main research interests are in low-dimensional topology and knot theory. Last summer she was the co-director of the COSMOS program at UC Davis, a 4 week residential program for talented high school students in math and science.





How to get to San Jose State University:

From 101 take the First street or Guadalope Expressway exit and go to Fourth Street. Take Fourth to San Salvador Street; turn left onto San Salvador and park in the Seventh Street garage ($2.00). The Engineering building is on San Fernando between Seventh and Eighth Streets.

From highway 280 take the 7-th street exit and turn left on Seventh Street. The garage is on the left after 5 or 6 blocks.
The Engineering building is on San Fernando between 7-th and 8-th
Streets.

To see a map of the campus Click here and look for building 31 on the Main Campus Map.


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Last updated on October 9, 2001