Recognizing the 3-sphere
by
Abigail Thompson
University of California, Davis

A central problem in 3-dimensional topology is to classify 3-dimensional spaces. That is, given a collection of tetrahedra, together with instructions on how to glue their faces together, we'd like to be able to decide algorithmically what the resulting 3-manifold is. Until recently there was no algorithm even to decide whether or not the resulting manifold was the 3-sphere. This is called the recognition problem for the 3-sphere. I'll discuss a solution to the recognition problem from the point of view of knot theory.

Date received: February 1, 1996

Copyright © 1996 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Mathematical Conference Abstracts. Document # caaa-56.