Questions tagged [convex-geometry]

A branch of geometry dealing with convex sets and functions. Polytopes, convex bodies, discrete geometry, linear programming, antimatroids, ...

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Volume ratio of polytopes with few vertices

The volume ratio of a convex body $K\subset \mathbb{R}^{n}$ is $v_r(K) = \inf_{\mathcal{E}\subset K} \left(\frac{Vol(K)}{Vol(\mathcal{E})}\right)^{1/n}$ where the infimum run over ellipsoids included ...
2 votes
0 answers
174 views

Approximation of zonoids

I have a question regarding the papers on approximating zonoids with zonotopes. I'll first write down the approximation problem and then state what my question is. Problem of Approximating Zonoids. ...
2 votes
1 answer
65 views

Optimal unions of planar convex regions

This post continues Optimal intersections between planar convex regions. Question: Given two planar convex polygonal regions $C_1$ and $C_2$, how does one algorithmically find how to place and orient ...
7 votes
2 answers
836 views

Applications of Cauchy's Arm Lemma

Cauchy's Arm Lemma is used in the proof of Cauchy's Rigidity Theorem for convex polyhedra. The Lemma states that in the plane or on the sphere that if all but one of the side lengths of two convex ...
1 vote
0 answers
110 views

Maximizing a parametric integral over the unit sphere

I am trying to compute the nonnegative quantity $$ \underset{y\in\mathbb{S}^{d-1}}{\sup}\int_{0}^{t}(\Vert A(\tau)y\Vert_{1}- \Vert A(\tau)y\Vert_{q})d\tau, \quad 1 < q < \infty $$ where $\...
4 votes
1 answer
171 views

How to solve this minimax matrix optimization problem?

Recently, I want to know how well can a $\ell_1$ ball be approximated by the image of a $\ell_2$ ball under a linear transform. I formulate this problem as the following optimization problem. \begin{...
1 vote
1 answer
83 views

Can upper bounds on totally monotone functions be taken (WLOG) to be themselves totally monotone?

Consider the following: fix a function $\bar{b} : \mathbf{R}_+ \to [0, \infty]$, and define \begin{align} \mathcal{S} \left( \bar{b} \right) := \left\{ b : \mathbf{R}_+ \to [0, \infty] \, \text{s.t.} \...
5 votes
1 answer
315 views

Are the polyhedral cones the only examples of cones that remains closed when they are added to vector subspaces?

Let $C \subset \mathbb{R}^{n}$ be a closed convex cone. If one wants to know whether the linear map $T:\mathbb{R}^{n} \to\mathbb{R}^m$ sends the closed set $C$ to another closed one, $T(C)$, it is ...
1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Measurable sets of $\mathbb R^n$ forming unique absolutely continuous convex combinations?

If we consider a finite set $A\subset\mathbb R^n$, uniqueness of the convex decomposition of points in $A$ is equivalent to the absence of $\mu\neq0$ signed measure supported on $A$ such that $\mu(\...
1 vote
1 answer
117 views

A neighborhood $Y$ of a set $X$ such that the line segment connecting any point in $Y$ and its projection to $X$ is contained in $Y$

A direct line from a point $p$ to a set $X$ is a line segment with one endpoint at $p$ and one endpoint in $X$, which is as short as any other line segment from $p$ to $X$. Given a closed set $X$ and ...
1 vote
0 answers
28 views

Adjacent vertices of a permutohedron which is the orbit of a point $x$ with repeated coordinates

Question: Let $x=(x_1, ..., x_n) \in \mathbb{R}^n$, and let $P$ be the convex hull of the points formed by permuting the coordinates of $x$. Given a vertex $y$ of $P$, what is a general rule for ...
4 votes
0 answers
61 views

Good resources that talk about geodesically convex sets for riemannian manifolds?

Are there any good resources that talk about geodesically convex sets, and in particular convex hulls, for riemannian manifolds? I’ve been wanting to learn more about them, their geometry and ...
1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Reference for a general theory of spaces of one-directional rays?

There is a lot of work done on projective spaces, over real, complex numbers or over an abstract field. But I do not find a reference for similar theory where the vectors are projected to the same &...
2 votes
2 answers
153 views

Angle between a point in a convex polytope and the nearest point of a face

Let $P \subset \mathbb{R}^d$ be a convex polytope, and let $F$ be a face of $P$ (of co-dimension 1, let's say). Now let $x \in P \setminus F$ and let $y \in F$ be the nearest point of $F$ to $x$. Then ...
7 votes
4 answers
252 views

Existence of a non-null and non-negative vector in $F\cup F^\perp$

In $\mathbb{R}^n$ ($n\ge 1$) endowed with the usual dot product, for any linear subspace $F$, does there exist a non-null vector with non-negative coordinates in $F\cup F^\perp$?
1 vote
0 answers
44 views

Support functions for subset and superset

I have an ellipse $\mathcal{E} = \{x^TAx = 1\}$, and I have a connected subset of an ellipse $U\subset \mathcal{E}$ For a given $\theta$ let $x_U^*(\theta) = \arg \sup\{\langle x,\theta\rangle, x\in ...
31 votes
2 answers
2k views

The logic of convex sets

Let me start with Helly's theorem: Let $A_1$, $A_2$, ..., $A_{n+2}$ be $n+2$ convex subsets of $\mathbb R^n$. If any $n+1$ of these subsets intersect (this means: have nonempty intersection), the so ...
2 votes
1 answer
375 views

Minkowski sum, zonotopes, convex hull

For any set $P,Q$ in the Euclid space, define Minkowski sum '+' as follows: $P+Q=\{p+q|p\in P, q\in Q\}$. And define 'zonotope': a zonotope is the Minkowski sum of some (finite) segments (for example, ...
1 vote
0 answers
71 views

Is there any previous study on the relationship between convexity and the order of points in the general position?

Let's assume $V =(v_1,v_2,v_3,… ,v_n)$ is a set points in a general-position. For each point $v_i$, let's list the points in the order we encounter as we rotate around a certain direction (say ...
0 votes
0 answers
98 views

Sharp, salient and opposite cones

I have been reading about star shaped sets and support cones from this article. Can anyone please help me with examples the difference between a sharp and dull cone. How come a salient cone has a ...
0 votes
0 answers
174 views

Regarding definition of convex cone and apex

I have been reading about star shaped sets and support cones from this article. I am wondering about the definition of the cone as to why is it defined this way? Why is it $C-a$? I am familiar with ...
28 votes
0 answers
538 views

Can every 3-dimensional convex body be trapped in a tetrahedral cage?

Can every 3-dimensional convex body be trapped in a tetrahedral cage? Although the question is fairly unambiguous, I give all relevant definitions: $\bullet$ A subset $C$ of $\mathbb{R}^n$ is an $n$-...
20 votes
4 answers
910 views

The limit of edge-midpoint convex polyhedra

    Starting with a convex polyhedron $P_1 \subset \mathbb{R}^3$, replace that with $P_2$, the convex hull of the midpoints of the edges of $P_1$. Continuing this process, we obtain a ...
2 votes
2 answers
232 views

Distribution of the support function of convex bodies: beyond mean width

Let $K$ be a symmetric convex body in $\mathbb{R}^n$ (that is the unit ball of a norm). Let $h_K$ be its support function, that is $h_K(u) = \sup_{x \in K}\langle x,u \rangle$. The quantity $w(K) = \...
1 vote
1 answer
215 views

For $x_1,...,x_n$ iid random on sphere of radius $\sqrt{d}$ in $R^d$, what is a good upper-bound on min distance of $x_{n}$ from the other $x_i$'s?

Let $n$ and $d$ be large positive integers with $n \le d^\gamma$, for some absolute constant $\gamma>0$; i.e., $n$ is at most polynomial in $d$. Let $x_1,\ldots,x_n,x_{n+1}$ be drawn iid from the ...
0 votes
0 answers
67 views

Diameter of inner parallel body

Let's say I have a convex polytope $\mathcal{P} \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ with non-empty interior. Let $\mathcal{P}=\bigcap_{i=1}^mH_i$ for some halfspaces $H_i$ and let $d=diam(\mathcal{P})=\sup\{\|x-y\|:...
5 votes
1 answer
240 views

Dimension reduction for non-negativity of elementary symmetric polynomials

Fix integers $1 \leq k \leq n$ and suppose $\mathbf{x} \in \mathbb{R}^n$ is such that $e_j(x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_n) \geq 0$ for all $1 \leq j \leq k$, where $e_j$ is the $j$-th elementary symmetric ...
0 votes
1 answer
99 views

Estimation via projecting onto a convex body

Assume that $\theta$ is in a convex body $K \in \mathbb{R}^n$ and we observe $y = \theta + z$, where $z$ is a noise term (following, say, the normal distribution). Consider an estimator of $\theta$ by ...
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Comparing convex planar regions of equal perimeter and area - 2

We try to extend On comparing planar convex regions of equal perimeter and area . Given two planar convex regions C1 and C2 both with unit perimeter, we define the difference between C1 and C2 as the ...
6 votes
2 answers
350 views

Parallelotope fundamental domains of the n-torus

The group $\mathbb Z^n$ acts on the topological space $\mathbb R^n$ by translation: if $z = (z_1, \cdots, z_n) \in \mathbb Z^n$ and $x = (x_1, \cdots, x_n) \in \mathbb R^n$, then $z\cdot x := z+x$. ...
1 vote
1 answer
87 views

Affine semigroup generating a lattice

This is a cross-post from MSE. Everything is assumed to be finite-dimensional. Let $S$ be a finitely generated affine semigroup (i.e. a subsemigroup of a lattice $N$ of a Euclidean space). Assume that ...
3 votes
1 answer
132 views

Finding the smallest centrally symmetric region that contains a convex planar region

Given a convex polygonal region C, how does one find/characterize the smallest zonogon (centrally symmetric convex polygon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zonogon) that contains C? Note 1: In question ...
24 votes
3 answers
1k views

Average measure of intersection of a convex region with its translate

Let $\lambda$ denote the Lebesgue-measure on $\mathbb{R}^n$, and let $C\subset\mathbb{R}^n$ be a convex region. My question is about $$f(C):=\int_{C} \lambda(C \cap (x + C) ) \mathrm{d} x.$$ How ...
0 votes
0 answers
99 views

Weak derivative of projection onto probabilist's simplex

Let $\Delta_n:=\{x\in [0,1]^n:\boldsymbol{1}^{\top}x=1\}$ denote the probabilist's $n$-simplex and let $P:\mathbb{R}^n\rightarrow\Delta_n$ denote the (Euclidean) metric projection onto this simplex ...
2 votes
1 answer
160 views

Existence of preferred direction for a random vector with arbitrary distribution on sphere, under a condition on its covariance matrix

Let $X$ be random vector on the unit-sphere $S_{n-1}$ in $\mathbb R^n$. We don't assume that the distribution of $X$ is uniform on $S_{n-1}$ I'm interested in proving the existence of a (...
0 votes
0 answers
74 views

On finding optimal convex planar shapes to cover a given convex planar shape

Covering a specific convex shape S with n copies of another specified convex shape S' (which may be different from S) is well studied - for example, https://erich-friedman.github.io/packing/index.html....
2 votes
2 answers
293 views

Expected value of Tukey’s half-space depth for log-concave measures

Let ${\mathbb P}$ be a probability measure in ${\mathbb R}^n$. Let $x\in{\mathbb R}^n$ be an arbitrary point. Let ${\mathbb H}_x$ be the set of halfspaces of ${\mathbb R}^n$ containing $x$. Let \begin{...
1 vote
0 answers
75 views

Convex planar regions with optimal average 'centralness' and 'depth'

For a planar convex region $C$ and an interior point $P$ we define: the centralness ratio at $P$ is $$\min\left(\frac{\text{shorter portion of }\chi}{\text{longer portion of }\chi}:\chi\text{ is a ...
33 votes
3 answers
2k views

Polar body of a convex body that avoids a lattice

Let $K \subset {\bf R}^d$ be a symmetric convex body (an open bounded convex neighbourhood of the origin with $K = -K$) with the property that $K + {\bf Z}^d \neq {\bf R}^d$, i.e. the projection of $K$...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the "Krein-Milman theorem for cones"?

Update: The question is completely answered. I had overlooked a reduction to the self-adjoint case, and the latter can be proved using a Hahn-Banach separation theorem. Thanks to Matthew Daws for ...
1 vote
1 answer
89 views

How to compute external angles of a hypersimplex?

Recently, I concern with the volume of the outer parallel body of a hypersimplex that is defined as follows $$ \mathcal{H}_s(n,k)=\left\{ (x_1,\cdots,x_n):\sum_{i=1}^n x_i=k,x_i\in[0,1] \right\}, $$ ...
3 votes
1 answer
190 views

Well-behaved trajectories

Call trajectory any continuous function $f: \mathbb{R}_{\geq 0} \to \mathbb{R}^n$ (here, $\mathbb{R}_{\geq 0}$ is interpreted as time). A polyhedral partition of $\mathbb{R}^n$ is a finite set of ...
1 vote
0 answers
72 views

A ratio to measure 'roundedness' of planar convex regions

Ref: A center of convex planar regions based on chords The above discussion quotes the definition of 'centralness coefficient' and defines a center of a planar convex region. 1/2 is the least possible ...
2 votes
1 answer
256 views

On the Lipschitz continuity of $x \mapsto \arg\min_{c \in C}d(x,c)$ w.r.t Hausdorff distance

Let $C$ be a (nonempty) compact subset of euclidean $\mathbb R^n$, and consider the set-valued map $p_C:\mathbb R^n \to 2^C$ defined by $$ p_C(x) = \{c \in C \mid \|x-c\| = \mbox{dist}(x,C)\}, $$ ...
6 votes
3 answers
417 views

Isoperimetric inequality for $\epsilon$-expansion of a set only along a certain subspace

Let $\gamma_n$ be the standard gaussian distribution on $\mathbb R^n$. Let $V$ be a $k$-dimensional subspace of $\mathbb R^n$. Finally let $A$ be any (nonempty) Borel subset of $A$ with $\gamma_n(A) = ...
1 vote
1 answer
175 views

Sufficient conditions for the boundary unit-normal vector field of a closed convex set to be Lipschitz continuous

This is followup to the following question: On the Lipschitz continuity of the unit-normal vector field of a polytope Let $C$ be a (nonempty) closed convex subset of $\mathbb R^n$. Note that to every ...
2 votes
1 answer
111 views

Existence of fine approximate of a convex body in $\mathbb R^d$ with convex hull of $\mathcal O(d)$ points

Let $K$ be a convex body in $\mathbb R^d$ which contains the origin and let $\theta \in (0,1)$. Question. Is it always possible to find $n$ points $x_1,\dotsc,x_n \in \mathbb R^d$ such that $$ \theta ...
1 vote
1 answer
100 views

On the Lipschitz continuity of the unit-normal vector field of a polytope

Let $\mu$ be a probability measure on $\mathbb R^n$ and let $P$ be a compact polytope in $\mathbb R^n$. For any $x \in \mathbb R^n \setminus P$, let $p(x) \in P$ be (unique!) point in $P$ which is ...
7 votes
4 answers
455 views

What does $\mathbb E_V \max_{x \in V,\,\|x\|=1} x^T Ax$ evaluate to when $V$ is random $k$-dim suspace of $\mathbb R^n$ and $A$ is fixed psd matrix?

Let $G_{k,n}$ be the grassmannian of $k$-dimensional vector spaces of $\mathbb R^n$. By the Courant–Fisher characterization, the $k$th largest eigenvalue of an $n \times n$ psd matrix $A$ is given by $...
9 votes
2 answers
372 views

Which convex bodies roll straight?

Let $K$ be a convex body in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Suppose $K$ is held at some position and orientation on an inclined plane, and released. Let there be sufficient friction so that it rolls without slippage. ...

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