# Crossing number and Torus links

We define the crossing number of a knot $K$ to be the minimal number of crossings in any diagram of $K$. Surely we can easy prove that there do not exist knots with crossing number $1$ and $2$ (because suppose wel, then such knots are equivalent with the unknot, thus contradiction). But i want to prove now that the only knots with crossing number $3$ are the two trefoils knots. Surely both are inside the set of knots with crossingnumber 3, but the other site?! Or is this just trying?? Look also up to a Torus link $T_{p,q}$. I want to prove the statement: $T_{p,q}$ is a knot (thus not a link) if and only if $p$ and $q$ are coprime. Can someone help me?

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Hint 2: Recall that the definition of a torus knot is the image of a closed curve on the surface under a smooth embedding of the torus into $\mathbb{R}^3$. If we regard the torus as $\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$, all closed curves are homotopic to the image of a straight lines under identification. The coefficients $p,q$ are related to the slope of the line. Can you relate $p$ and $q$ to the number of components of the image of the line?