Minimum folded ribbonlength conjecture for Möbius-band unknots with linking number ±3

Let Uw,F\mathcal{U}_{w,F} be a folded ribbon unknot that is a Möbius band, with ribbon linking number Lk(Uw,F)=±3{\operatorname{Lk}}(\mathcal{U}_{w,F})=\pm3. Let Rib{\operatorname{Rib}} denote folded ribbonlength. Minimum folded ribbonlength conjecture. The minimum is

Rib([Uw,F])=infUw,FMo¨bius,Lk(Uw,F)=±3Rib(Uw,F)=33.{\operatorname{Rib}}([\mathcal{U}_{w,F}])=\inf_{\substack{\mathcal{U}_{w,F}\in\operatorname{Möbius},\\ {\operatorname{Lk}}(\mathcal{U}_{w,F})=\pm3}}{\operatorname{Rib}}(\mathcal{U}_{w,F})=3\sqrt{3}.

The value is attained by the equilateral-triangle example established earlier for folded ribbon 33-stick unknots. The conjecture asks whether allowing arbitrary Möbius-band folded ribbon unknots can lower this value.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Elizabeth Denne and Troy Larsen, “Linking number and folded ribbon unknots”, arXiv:2208.03239 (2022).

Progress summary

Never refreshed

Nothing recorded yet. Refresh searches the literature and the public web for attempts on this problem, and writes the first summary here.

Solutions 0

No solutions have been posted yet.