Untangling the Mathematics of Knots Knots in the World Description Students examine and learn how to tie some practical knots that are used for various purposes. This gives them further exposure to the structure of knots and provides a new context in which to apply their skills of observing and making conjectures about knots. Materials Instructions Ideas for discussion Materials Information on knot-tying for useful purposes. Such books, written at a level accessible to children, are readily available. Most libraries have them.
Instructions Remind the students that knots have been useful in the world for years.
Review some of the purposes and uses of knots. Have students examine and tie several knots and relate this experience to their mathematical study of knots. Knots can be classified by the ways in which they are used for practical purposes. Using several practical knots as a starting point, ask some of the questions you have asked about mathematical knots.