These talks will be self-contained presentations of mathematical concepts and theorems. They are intended to be accessible to all mathematics
students.  Coffee, tea and drinks will be provided.
 

Sometimes seemingly very complicated structures can be analyzed by surprisingly elementary means. For a mathematician, a `knot' is what you get by taking an extension cord, tangled anyway you choose, and then plugging it into itself. The problem: how do you know if you can untangle it to make it look like a round circle, WITHOUT unplugging??

An elementary approach will be described: The only background required is a basic knowledge of a polynomial.