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On comparing the writhe of a smooth curve to the writhe of an inscribed polygon

Jason Cantarella
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Abstract

We find bounds on the difference between the writhing number of a smooth curve, and the writhing number of a polygon inscribed within. The proof is based on an extension of Fuller's difference of writhe formula to the case of polygonal curves. The results establish error bounds useful in the computation of writhe.

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Jason Cantarella. 2002-02-22. On comparing the writhe of a smooth curve to the writhe of an inscribed polygon. https://doi.org/10.1137/s0036142902403164

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