Claremont Topology Seminar: Puttipong Pongtanapaisan (Pitzer College)

We welcome all undergraduate/graduate students and faculty to attend topology seminar!

Speaker: Puttipong Pongtanapaisan (Pitzer College)

Title: Special Positions of Shapes in Four-Dimensional Space

Abstract: I will begin by convincing you that four-dimensional space is more familiar than it might first appear. Then, I will introduce ways in which mathematicians study objects in 4-space. Each visualization method comes with its own advantages and limitations, as well as a natural measure of complexity that captures how “knotted” a shape can be. Drawing from my work on several projects, I will explain how these complexity measures connect to other areas of mathematics. For example, placing surfaces in what we call a rainbow position reveals connections to symplectic geometry.