{
  "aliases": null,
  "backlinks": [
    {
      "field": "defines",
      "target": "878B9A4D9B"
    }
  ],
  "body": "\n## Summary\n\nA [[knot|QYEAZTYGPT]] is tricolorable if the arcs of a diagram can be colored with three colors under a simple rule.\nAt each crossing the three meeting arcs must show one color or all three colors, and at least two colors must appear.\nWhether this is possible does not depend on the chosen diagram, so tricolorability is a property detected by a [[knot invariant|GZQ5ZE3X6G]].\nIt is the simplest tool to prove that a knot is really knotted.\n\n## Explanations\n\n### L1 human\n\nDraw a knot and break each under-strand at the crossings, so the drawing falls into arcs.\nColor each arc red, green or blue.\nThe rule is that at every crossing you see either one color or all three colors.\nThe plain circle has a single arc, so it can only use one color.\nThe [[trefoil knot|VYTYSVHN4A]] has three arcs, and giving them three different colors satisfies the rule at all three crossings.\nSo the trefoil is tricolorable and the circle is not, which proves that the trefoil cannot be untied.\n",
  "commit": "547b6eddb8f2feb8d579f2d633d22a27b7e132fc",
  "front": {
    "kind": "concept",
    "msc": [
      "57K10"
    ],
    "name": "Tricolorability",
    "same_as": {
      "wikidata": "Q7841270",
      "wikipedia": "Tricolorability"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricolorability"
      }
    ],
    "tag": "KNAGK0W65G"
  },
  "kind": "concept",
  "link": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/KNAGK0W65G/",
  "links": null,
  "markdown": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/KNAGK0W65G.md",
  "msc": [
    "57K10"
  ],
  "name": "Tricolorability",
  "prov": null,
  "role": "",
  "source": "https://github.com/tamnd/math2/blob/main/nodes/KNA/KNAGK0W65G.md",
  "status": null,
  "tag": "KNAGK0W65G",
  "uri": "m2://KNAGK0W65G",
  "url": "https://math2.tamnd.com/wiki/tricolorability/",
  "writing": {
    "tag": "KNAGK0W65G",
    "kind": "concept",
    "level": "W0",
    "next": [
      {
        "what": "a source with a locator",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}
