This talk was given at the Relatorium online seminar on July 10th 2026. Many thanks to our host, Irfan Alam for inviting us. Our talks page at ResearchSeminars is here. It was a rehearsal for our upcoming presentation upcoming presentation at Bridges.
The slides are available here: relatorium-slides.pdf.
Abstract: This workshop explores string figures as algorithmic art. We share a novel application of braid groups to analyze string figure algorithms. Participants will engage in hands-on exploration with real string. We’ll talk about relevant braid theory. We’ll also reflect on the role of notation in mathematics.
During the question period, I made reference to a paper by Joan Birman. Birman and Menasco’s Theorem 1 addresses, at the highest level of generality possible, the question: “What moves do you need to generate all possible string figures?”
Joan S. Birman and William W. Menasco (1992) Studying links via closed braids. V. The unlink Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 329 (1992), 585-606 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9947-1992-1030509-1
This workshop requires each participant to have a closed loop of string. You’ll need to make your own at home before the talk. Generally, a good length of string for someone is the distance between their finger tips when their arms are fully extended side-to-side. We encourage people making loops at home to experiment with longer and shorter loops using a variety of materials. Polyester string can be made into loops by melting the ends together and is available in a variety of colours at a low cost. However, any old string will do!
Published: Jul 10, 2026 @ 14:47.
Last Modified: Jul 13, 2026 @ 16:45.
Tags
#talk #braids #loop braids #string figuresBacklinks
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