Partially Ordering Unknotting Operations

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce an equivalence relation on the set of local moves and classify local moves, called the extended $ST$-moves, up to the equivalence. Moreover, by inducing a binary relation on the set of equivalence classes of local moves, we show that an extended $ST$-move realizes the crossing change or the $SH(2)$-move. In addition, for any oriented knot and two extended $ST$-moves, we disscus the magnitude relation between the unknotting numbers of the knot via the moves, and show that there is an extended $ST$-move except $SH$-moves so that the knot can be transformed into the trivial knot by the single extended $ST$-move. Finally, we provide some examples of $ST$-moves with the binary relation.

19 pages, 15 figures