Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
Let K be a knot in the 3-sphere S3; let m be a meridian and 1 a longitude of K. In [1] we gave a detailed study of the ‘π-orbifold group’ O(K): π1(S3\K)/〈m2〉 of the knot, where 〈m2〉 is the subgroup normally generated by the square of the meridian. In particular, we found out to what extent the π-orbifold group classifies knots (and links) and determines the symmetry group of a knot. In the present paper, we consider the groups Gn(K): = π1(S3\K)/〈ln〉. Our main results are the following.