Colourings and the Alexander Polynomial

Using a combination of calculational and theoretical approaches, we establish results that relate two knot invariants, the Alexander polynomial, and the number of quandle colourings using any finite linear Alexander quandle. Given such a quandle, specified by two coprime integers n and m, the number of colourings of a knot diagram is given by counting the solutions of a matrix equation of the form AX = 0 mod n, where A is the m-dependent colouring matrix. We devised an algorithm to reduce A to echelon form, and applied this to the colouring matrices for all prime knots with up to 10 crossings, finding just three distinct reduced types. For two of these types, both upper triangular, we found general formulae for the number of colourings. This enables us to prove that in some cases the number of such quandle colourings cannot distinguish knots with the same Alexander polynomial, whilst in other cases knots with the same Alexander polynomial can be distinguished by colourings with a specific quandle. When two knots have different Alexander polynomials, and their reduced colouring matrices are upper triangular, we find a specific quandle for which we prove that it distinguishes them by colourings.