On the complexity of meander-like diagrams of knots

Abstract

It is known that each knot has a semimeander diagram (i. e. a diagram composed of two smooth simple arcs), however the number of crossings in such a diagram can only be roughly estimated. In the present paper we provide a new estimate of the complexity of the semimeander diagrams. We prove that for each knot $K$ with more than 10 crossings, there exists a semimeander diagram with no more than $0.31\cdot 1.558^{\mathrm{cr}(K)}$ crossings, where $\mathrm{cr}(K)$ is the crossing number of $K$. As a corollary, we provide new estimates of the complexity of other meander-like types of knot diagrams, such as meander diagrams and potholders. We also describe an efficient algorithm for constructing a semimeander diagram from a given one.

11 pages, 12 figures; v2: Minor corrections. To be published in Journal of Knot Theory and Its Ramifications