The diameter of a bounded set is the supremum of the distances between any two points of the set, and the circumradius is the infimum of the radii of balls containing the set. Obviously, the diameter is never greater than twice the circumradius.

A hyperplane passing through the center of the unit cube $[0,1]^n$ cuts the cube into congruent halves. We want the halves to have the minimum diameter, or the minimum circumradius, respectively.

Questions.

(a) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest diameter of the halves?

(b) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest circumradius of the halves?

Comment.

I believe that the hyperplane perpendicular to some edge of the cube minimizes both the diameter and the circumradius of the two pieces. However, the hyperplane minimizing the diameter need not be perpendicular to any edge. Already in dimension 3, the plane perpendicularly bisecting the main diagonal produces the same minimum diameter of the pieces as the plane perpendicularly bisecting an edge, but not the circumradius.

The diameter of a bounded set is the supremum of the distances between any two points of the set, and the circumradius is the infimum of the radii of balls containing the set. Obviously, the diameter is never greater than twice the circumradius.

A hyperplane passing through the center of the unit cube $[0,1]^n$ cuts the cube into congruent halves. We want the halves to have the minimum diameter, or the minimum circumradius, respectively.

Questions.

(a) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest diameter of the halves?

(b) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest circumradius of the halves?

Comment.

I believe that the hyperplane perpendicular to some edge of the cube minimizes both the diameter and the circumradius of the two pieces. However, the hyperplane minimizing the diameter need not be perpendicular to any edge. Already in dimension 3, the plane perpendicularly bisecting the main diagonal produces the same minimum diameter of the pieces as the plane perpendicularly bisecting an edge, but does not produce the minimum circumradius.

Halving the $n$-cube into congruent small parts.

The diameter of a bounded set is the supremum of the distances between any two points of the set, and the circumradius is the infimum of the radii of balls containing the set. Obviously, the diameter is never greater than twice the circumradius.

A hyperplane passing through the center of the unit cube $[0,1]^n$ cuts the cube into congruent halves. We want the halves to have the minimum diameter, or the minimum circumradius, respectively.

Questions.

(a) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest diameter of the halves?

(b) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest circumradius of the halves?

Comment.

I believe that the hyperplane perpendicular to some edge of the cube minimizes both the diameter and the circumradius of the two pieces. However, the hyperplane minimizing the diameter need not be perpendicular to any edge. Already in dimension 3, the plane perpendicularly bisecting the main diagonal produces the same minimum diameter of the pieces as the plane perpendicularly bisecting an edge, but not the circumradius.

The diameter of a bounded set is the supremum of the distances between any two points of the set, and the circumradius is the infimum of the radii of balls containing the set. Obviously, the diameter is never greater than twice the circumradius.

A hyperplane passing through the center of the unit cube $[0,1]^n$ cuts the cube into congruent halves. We want the halves to have the minimum diameter, or the minimum circumradius, respectively.

Questions.

(a) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest diameter of the halves?

(b) Which hyperplane(s) produce the smallest circumradius of the halves?

Comment.

I believe that the hyperplane perpendicular to some edge of the cube minimizes both the diameter and the circumradius of the two pieces. However, the hyperplane minimizing the diameter need not be perpendicular to any edge. Already in dimension 3, the plane perpendicularly bisecting the main diagonal produces the same minimum diameter of the pieces as the plane perpendicularly bisecting an edge, but not the circumradius.