CA

Colin
 Adams
 

 
Blown
 Away:
 What
 Knot
 to
 Do
 When
 Sailing
 

 
by
 Sir
 Randolph
 Bacon
 III
 (cousin
 -­‐in-­‐law
 to
 Colin
 Adams)
 

 
Abstract:
  Being
  a
  tale
  of
  adventure
  on
  the
  high
  seas
  involving
  great
  risk
  to
  the
 
taleteller,
 and
 how
 an
 understanding
 of
 the
 mathematical
 theory
 of
 knots
 saved
 his
 
bacon.
 No
 nautical
 or
 mathematical
 background
 assumed.
 

 
Bio:
  Colin
  Adams
  is
  the
  Thomas
  T.
  Read
  Professor
  of
  Mathematics
  at
  Williams
 
College.
  He
  received
  his
  Ph.D.
  from
  the
  University
  of
  Wisconsin-­‐Madison
  in
  1983.
 
 
He
 is
 particularly
 interested
 in
 the
 mathematical
 theory
 of
 knots,
 their
 applications
 
and
  their
  connections
  with
  hyperbolic
  geometry.
  He
  is
  the
  author
  of
  "The
  Knot
 
Book",
  an
  elementary
  introduction
  to
  the
  mathematical
  theory
  of
  knots,
  "Why
 
Knot?",
 a
 mathematical
 comic
 book
 with
 attached
 toy
 and
 "Riot
 at
 the
 Calc
 Exam
 and
 
Other
 Mathematically
 Bent
 Stories",
 a
 compendium
 of
 humorous
 math
 stories.
 
 He
 is
 
the
  co-­‐author
  of
  the
  humorous
  supplements
  "How
  to
  Ace
  Calculus:
  The
  Streetwise
 
Guide"
 and
 "How
 to
 Ace
 the
 Rest
 of
 Calculus:
 the
 Streetwise
 Guide"
 
 as
 well
 as
 the
 
textbook
  "Introduction
  to
  Topology:
  Pure
  and
  Applied".
 
  He
  also
  appears
  with
 
Thomas
  Garrity
  in
  "The
  Great
  Pi/e
  Debate",
 
  "The
  United
  States
  of
  Mathematics
 
Presidential
  Debate"
  and
  “The
  Derivative
  vs.
  the
  Integral:
  The
  Final
  Smackdown”,
 
DVD's
  of
  humorous
  debates
  on
  mathematical
  topics
  that
  are
  available
  from
  the
 
Mathematical
  Association
  of
  America.
  He
  has
  written
  a
  variety
  of
  research
  articles
 
on
 knot
 theory
 and
 hyperbolic
 3-­‐manifolds.
 He
 is
 a
 recipient
 of
 the
 Haimo
 National
 
Distinguished
 Teaching
 Award
 from
 the
 Mathematical
 Association
 of
 America(MAA)
 
in
  1998,
  an
  MAA
  Polya
  Lecturer
  for
  1998-­‐2000,
  a
  Sigma
  Xi
  Distinguished
  Lecturer
 
for
  2000-­‐2002,
  and
  the
  recipient
  of
  the
  Robert
  Foster
  Cherry
  Teaching
  Award
  in
 
2003.
  He
  is
  also
  the
  humor
  columnist
  for
  the
  Mathematical
  Intelligencer,
  and
  has
 
just
 finished
 the
 manuscript
 for
 a
 new
 book
 entitled
 “Zombies
 &
 Calculus”.