Reidemeister Moves

Reidemeister moves are three fundamental ways to manipulate knot diagrams that don't change the underlying knot itself. They include: (1) twisting or untwisting a loop (adding or removing a small twist), (2) moving a loop over or under another strand, and (3) sliding strands past each other without creating or losing crossings. These moves demonstrate that different-looking knots can actually be the same when you consider how they’re viewed or drawn. Knot theorists use Reidemeister moves to determine if two diagrams represent the same knot, by showing one can be transformed into the other through a sequence of these moves.