Diagram Genus, Generators, and Applications

In knot theory, diagrams of a given canonical genus can be described by means of a finite number of patterns ("generators"). This book presents a self-contained account of the canonical genus: the genus of knot diagrams. The author explores recent research on the combinatorial theory of knots and supplies proofs for a number of theorems. He gives a detailed structure theorem for canonical Seifert surfaces of a given genus and covers applications, such as the braid index of alternating knots and hyperbolic volume.