Seifert surface

A seifert surface is like a special kind of blanket that helps us understand strange shapes called knots. Knots are like a tangle of string that is twisted around itself and tied up. Scientists use seifert surfaces to help them understand more about these knots by studying the ways the blanket covers the tangle.

Imagine you have a string that is all tangled up like spaghetti. If you try to draw a picture of it, it can be really hard to understand what's going on. But if you put a special blanket on top of it, you can smooth out the tangle and make it easier to see how the string is twisted and knotted.

A seifert surface is like this special blanket. It helps scientists see the details of how a knot is put together so they can study it and learn more about it. By looking at the way the seifert surface is wrapped around the knot, researchers can better understand how the knot is formed and how it changes when it is moved around.

In summary, a seifert surface is a special tool that helps scientists understand knots better by smoothing them out and making them easier to see.