Prime Link: 8_3_2

thingiverse

The prime link 8_3_2 is depicted in two versions, with a constant radius tube, representing its tightened form. In the slim version, the tube is reduced to half size for visibility purposes, whereas the thick version displays the full-scale tube. These models are easier to print without excessive support material. For more details about this prime link, visit its Knot Atlas page (http://katlas.math.toronto.edu/L8a17). The knot's visualization results from the numerical algorithm employed by RidgeRunner, a free software available at http://www.jasoncantarella.com/wordpress/software/ridgerunner/. This program minimizes the knot's ropelength while maintaining a tube around it. However, optimizing other functions would yield different shapes for this topological knot. To see an animated representation of this prime link tightening, check out http://www.jasoncantarella.com/movs.