Still from the animated film Not Knot, produced by the Geometry Center at the University of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
What do knots and hyperbolic space have in common? To find out, please join us for a screening of the legendary mathematical animated film NOT KNOT. Like a latter-plunge into Wonderland, this mind-blowing 15 minute film takes us into the heart of topology by exploring the “negative space” around knots. Beautifully animated by the Geometry Center at the University of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and based on cutting edge mathematical research, the movie visualizes deep interconnections between the topological structures of knots and hyperbolic geometry.
To take us through this extraordinary territory we will be joined for the evening by Dr. Francis Bonahon, Chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Southern California and an expert on low-dimensional topology. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of the most celebrated films in mathematics with an expert on hand to explain its enigmatic depths. No matter how much or how little you know about math, Not Knot is guaranteed to amaze.
Dr. Francis Bonahon is Chair of the Mathematics at the University of Southern Califonia. His research focuses on the intersection of geometry and topology with an emphasis on spaces of 2 and 3 dimensions. He has recently moved into the field of quantum topology and algebra.