Date of Award:

5-1971

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Mathematics and Statistics

Department name when degree awarded

Mathematics

Committee Chair(s)

L. D. Loveland

Committee

L. D. Loveland

Abstract

The central theme for this paper is provided by the following three statements:

(1) Every compact connected 1-manifold is S1.

(2) Every compact connected simply connected 2-manifold is S2.

(3) Every compact connected simply connected 3-manifold is S3.

We provide proofs of statements (1) and (2). The veracity of the third statement, the Poincaré Conjecture, has not been determined. It is known that should a counter-example exist it can be found by removing from S3 a finite collect ion of solid tori and sewing them back differently. We show that it is not possible to find a counterexample by removing from S3 a single solid torus of twist knot type or torus knot type and sewing it back differently. We treat as special cases a solid torus of trivial knot type and trefoil knot type.

Checksum

0563f559c1c73fc76c72093025c57d74

Included in

Mathematics Commons

Share

COinS