Braids, graphs, and robots

Aaron Abrams
Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia

Abstract: A common technique for solving problems involving lots of moving objects is to associate a topological object called a ``configuration space'' to the problem. This talk will focus on the configuration spaces associated to motions of several particles on a graph. We will play with some examples and hopefully get used to visualizing these spaces. Along the way these spaces will exhibit some neat properties, which are both mathematically interesting and useful for solving related problems in robotics.