Prime Link: 8_2_6

thingiverse

This prime link, 8_2_6, is depicted in two versions - thin and thick, tied within a tube of constant radius that's pulled tight. The thin version has a reduced half-sized tube to enhance visibility of crossings, while the thick version appears at full scale. These designs are easier to print with minimal support material. For more details about this prime link, visit its page in Knot Atlas (http://katlas.math.toronto.edu/L8a6). The knot's shape is a product of RidgeRunner, a free software available at http://www.jasoncantarella.com/wordpress/software/ridgerunner/. This program uses numerical algorithms to minimize the knot's length while maintaining a tube around it. Note that different functions could yield alternative shapes for this topological knot. Additionally, see RidgeRunner's website for more information about tight knots (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ropelength), ropelength data (http://www.jasoncantarella.com/wordpress/papers/), and a movie of this prime link tightening (http://www.jasoncantarella.com/movs).