Circuit topology

Circuit topology uses a similar language to categorise both "soft" and "hard" contacts, and provides a full description of a folded linear chain.

Furthermore, one can apply circuit topology operations to soft and hard contacts to generate complex folds, using a bottom-up engineering approach.

Both knot theory and circuit topology aim to describe chain entanglement, making it important to understand their relationship.

[3][4] An advantage of circuit topology is that it can be applied to open linear chains with intra-chain interactions, so-called hard contacts.

[8] Circuit topology along with contact order and size are determinants of the folding rate of linear polymers.