Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/iii/paper-112/2/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 112 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-09-28
Apply the Kauffman bracket skein relation to every crossing in the two-string tangle . Each complete smoothing is a collection of closed circles together with one of the two crossingless pairings of the four boundary points. Rotation through about the indicated vertical axis preserves both crossingless pairings and the number of closed circles. Gluing the unchanged tangle to corresponding smoothings therefore gives equal terms, including equal loop factors, so .
Choose an orientation of , and transport the induced orientations of the four ends of through the rotation to orient . Crossing signs inside the rotated tangle and outside it then have the same total, so the writhe of a link diagram satisfies . Applying the writhe normalization of the Jones polynomial gives
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