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In the mathematical theory of knots, a pretzel link is a special kind of link. It consists of a finite number tangles made of two intertwined circular helices, The tangles are connected cyclicly, the first component of the first tangle is connected to the second component of the second tangle, etc., with the first component of the last tangle connected to the second component of the first. A pretzel link which is also a knot is a pretzel knot.
Each tangle is characterized by its number of twists, positive if they are counter-clockwise or left-handed, negative if clockwise or right-handed. In the standard projection of the {\displaystyle } pretzel link, there are p 1 {\displaystyle p_{1}} left-handed crossings in the first |tangle, p 2 {\displaystyle p_{2}} in the second, and, in general, p n {\displaystyle p_{n}} in the nth.
A pretzel link can also be described as a Montesinos link with integer tangles.