Knot diagrams on a punctured sphere as a model of string figures

Abstract

A string figure is topologically a trivial knot lying on an imaginary plane orthogonal to the fingers with some crossings. The fingers prevent cancellation of these crossings. As a mathematical model of string figure we consider a knot diagram on the $xy$-plane in $xyz$-space missing some straight lines parallel to the $z$-axis. These straight lines correspond to fingers. We study minimal number of crossings of these knot diagrams under Reidemeister moves missing these lines.

6 pages, 6 figures, minor revision has done, to appear in Journal of Knot Theory and its Ramifications