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19 votes
3 answers
2k views

Guises of the Stasheff polytopes, associahedra for the Coxeter $A_n$ root system?

Richard Stanley keeps a famous running compilation of different guises of the celebrated Catalan numbers. The number of vertices of the associahedron is one instantiation among the multitude, and the ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
9 votes
1 answer
889 views

Combinatorics for the action of Virasoro / Kac–Schwarz operators: partition polynomials of free probability theory

In the background sections below, I establish the relations among characterizations of the action of Virasoro / Kac–Schwarz operators of 2D gravity models presented in terms of Laurent series by ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
22 votes
4 answers
3k views

Can you determine whether a graph is the 1-skeleton of a polytope?

How do I test whether a given undirected graph is the 1-skeleton of a polytope? How can I tell the dimension of a given 1-skeleton?
Hans-Peter Stricker's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
498 views

Loday's characterization and enumeration of faces of associahedra (Stasheff polytopes)

From "The multiple facets of the associahedra" by Loday: Let us consider the formal power series $$f(x) = x+a_1 x^2 +a_2 x^3 + \cdots+ a_n x^{n+1} + \cdots$$ and let $$ g(x) = x+b_1 x^2 + ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Extreme points of transportation polytope

I'm interested in $n \times m$ joint probability tables with prescribed row and column marginals. Such tables form a convex set known as the transportation polytope. What are the extreme points of ...
Memming's user avatar
  • 291
2 votes
1 answer
404 views

Relating face polytopes of permutohedra to integer partitions

The OEIS entries A019538, A049019, and A133314, relate a refinement of the face polynomials of the permutohedra (A049019) to partition polynomials (A133314) defined by multiplicative inversion of an ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
16 votes
3 answers
720 views

Can we realize a graph as the skeleton of a polytope that has the same symmetries?

Given a graph $G$, a realization of $G$ as a polytope is a convex polytope $P\subseteq \Bbb R^n$ with $G$ as its 1-skeleton. A realization $P\subseteq \Bbb R^n$ is said to realize the symmetries of $...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Combinatorics of the Stasheff polytopes

First a little background for those unaware. The Stasheff polytopes (or associahedra) are certain convex polytopes that arise in the theory of $A_\infty$-algebras. There is one polytope for each $n\...
Somnath Basu's user avatar
  • 3,423
4 votes
3 answers
347 views

Minimal data required to determine a convex polytope

Let $P\subset \Bbb R^d$ be a convex polytope. Suppose that I know its combinatorial type (aka. the face-lattice), the length $\ell_i$ of each edge, and the distance $r_i$ of each vertex from the ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
23 votes
3 answers
3k views

How many different numbers can be obtained as product of first $n$ natural numbers?

Let m and n be natural numbers, and consider the set of all possible products of m (not necessarily distinct) elements from the set $\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$, that is consider the set $\{1^{a_1} \cdot 2^{...
Hujdurovic's user avatar
22 votes
3 answers
2k views

Sampling from the Birkhoff polytope

The set of $n\times n$ real, nonnegative matrices whose rows and columns sum to one forms the well-known Birkhoff polytope Recently someone asked me if I knew How to sample (in polynomial time) ...
Suvrit's user avatar
  • 28.6k
7 votes
2 answers
789 views

"MultiCatalan numbers"

Could anyone provide a reference for the following (sort of) generalization of Catalan numbers: the multinomial coefficient $$ \binom{2k_1+3k_2+4k_3+...}{k_1+2k_2+3k_3+...,k_1,k_2,k_3,...} $$ is ...
მამუკა ჯიბლაძე's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
280 views

Classification of vertex-transitive zonotopes

Zonotopes are convex polytopes that can be defined in several equivalent ways: parallel projections of cubes, Minkowsi sums of line segments, only centrally symmetric faces, ... I wonder whether ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
3 votes
0 answers
264 views

Guises of the refined Eulerian numbers, generated by tangent vectors (OEIS A145271)

The Eulerian numbers (OEIS A008292, not to be confused with the Euler numbers) pop up in numerous scenarios in combinatorics and advanced analysis, one as the components of the h-vectors of the ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
56 votes
1 answer
3k views

Intersecting family of triangulations

Let $\cal T_n$ be the family of all triangulations on an $n$-gon using $(n-3)$ non-intersecting diagonals. The number of triangulations in $\cal T_n$ is $C_{n-2}$ the $(n-2)$th Catalan number. Let $\...
Gil Kalai's user avatar
  • 24.7k
34 votes
16 answers
7k views

Generalizations of the Birkhoff-von Neumann Theorem

The famous Birkhoff-von Neumann theorem asserts that every doubly stochastic matrix can be written as a convex combination of permutation matrices. The question is to point out different ...
Gil Kalai's user avatar
  • 24.7k
31 votes
7 answers
3k views

Why are we interested in permutahedra, associahedra, cyclohedra, ...?

The following families of polytopes have received a lot of attention: permutahedra, associahedra, cyclohedra, ... My question is simple: Why? As I understand, at least the latter two were ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
29 votes
0 answers
3k views

Why do polytopes pop up in Lagrange inversion?

I'd be interested in hearing people's viewpoints on this. Looking for an intuitive perspective. See Wikipedia for descriptions of polytopes and the Lagrange inversion theorem/formula (LIF) for ...
19 votes
2 answers
1k views

About a Delzant polytope. (In particular dodecahedron)

Hi. I have a question. Definition. Delzant polytope $P$ is a rational convex simple polytope with the smooth condition. Here, "smooth" means that for each vertex $v$, the $n$ edges containing $v$ ...
Yunhyung Cho's user avatar
  • 1,037
17 votes
4 answers
1k views

Can I build infinitely many polytopes from only finitely many prescribed facets?

Given a finite set of convex $d$-dimensional polytopes $\mathcal P$, for some $d\ge 2$. Question: Is it true that there are only finitely many different convex $(d+1)$-dimensional polytopes whose ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
16 votes
3 answers
1k views

Can a convex polytope with $f$ facets have more than $f$ facets when projected into $\mathbb{R}^2$?

Let $P$ be a convex polytope in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with $n$ vertices and $f$ facets. Let $\text{Proj}(P)$ denote the projection of $P$ into $\mathbb{R}^2$. Can $\text{Proj}(P)$ have more than $f$ facets? ...
Pedro Ruiz's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
481 views

Ehrhart period collapse for $123\ldots k$-avoiding Birkhoff polytope?

For $1 \leq r \leq n$, let $\mathcal{B}^n_r$ denote the polytope of all real matrices $$ \pi = \begin{pmatrix} \pi_{1,1} & \pi_{1,2} & \cdots & \pi_{1,n} \\ \pi_{2,1} & \ddots & \...
Sam Hopkins's user avatar
  • 24.2k
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

Triangulations of polyhedra

A topologist came to me with this question, but everything I think should work doesn't. How many triangulations are there of a polyhedron with n vertices? By a "triangulation" of a polyhedron P we ...
Jonah Ostroff's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
322 views

Integer decomposition property with a partial order

Let $\mathcal{P}$ be a convex lattice polytope in $\mathbb{R}^n$. We say that $\mathcal{P}$ has the integer decomposition property (or "is IDP") if for all $k\in \mathbb{N}$ and $\alpha \in ...
Sam Hopkins's user avatar
  • 24.2k
9 votes
4 answers
1k views

Positivity of Ehrhart polynomial coefficients

Are there any results stating that a given family of convex polytopes have Ehrhart polynomials with non-negative coefficients? What methods are available for proving such a property for some family ...
Per Alexandersson's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
231 views

Classifying two-faces of four-polytopes

Motivation: This question is related to my study of hyperbolic Coxeter polytopes. In general, if one put some restrictions on the type of their dihedral angles (say, all dihedral angles are equal to $\...
SashaKolpakov's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
390 views

Is there any edge- but not vertex-transitive polytope in $d\ge 4$ dimensions?

I consider convex polytopes $P\subset\Bbb R^d$. The polytope is called vertex- resp. edge-transitive, if any vertex resp. edge can be mapped to any other by a symmetry of the polytope. I am looking ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

When is a complete fan a normal fan?

Is there a characterization for when a complete fan in $\mathbf{R}^n$ is the normal fan of a polytope? Thanks!
slipstream's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
162 views

Approximating any convex shape in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with a polytope having $\mathrm{poly}(d)$ facets

We denote by $V(A)$ the $d$-volume of any convex set $A$. Furthermore, given any two convex sets $A,B\in\mathbb{R}^d$, we denote by $V_{A,B}$ the $d$-volume of the symmetric difference $V\left(A \...
Penelope Benenati's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
133 views

How rich is the class of vertex- and edge-transitive polytopes?

There are only a few regular polytopes (five in 3D, six in 4D, three in any dimension above). In contrast, the class of uniform polytopes becomes very rich with higher dimensions. The class of vertex-...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
6 votes
2 answers
291 views

"Minimal" connected matroids

I'm interested in connected matroids $M$ on the ground set $[n]$ for which there is no connected matroid on $[n]$ of the same rank but with a strictly smaller set of bases (by inclusion). Equivalently,...
Igor Makhlin's user avatar
  • 3,513
5 votes
1 answer
417 views

Iterated derivative and rectangular standard Young tableaux

We first make a few definitions, seemingly out of the blue (they are introduced/defined in this paper). Let $F^0_{a}(z) = (1-z)^{-1}$ and define recursively $$ F^{k+1}_{a}(z) = z^{a-1} \frac{d^a}{dz^...
Per Alexandersson's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
398 views

Catalan sequences vs composition sequences

In the paper, A polytope related to empirical distributions, plane trees, parking functions, and the associahedron, Pitman and Stanley studied the $n$-dimensional polytope $$\Pi_n(\mathbf x)=\{y\in\...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
294 views

Convex caps with prescribed edges

Let $P$ be a convex polygon in the plane $R^2=R^2\times \{0\}$, and $E$ be the edge graph of some subdivision of $P$ into convex polygons, which is $3$-connected. Does there exist a convex polyhedral ...
Mohammad Ghomi's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
675 views

How to know if convex-hull of a set contains zero?

Let $(\lambda_1 , \cdots , \lambda_d) \vdash k$ be a partition of $k$ of length $d$. Is there any way to decide if $0 \in \text{Conv}\{(\underbrace{\alpha_1, \cdots, \alpha_1}_{\lambda_1}, \cdots , \...
SMD's user avatar
  • 500
4 votes
5 answers
728 views

Lattice points in dilated polytopes and sumsets

Let $P$ be an integral polytope, that is, the convex hull of some points in $\mathbb{N}^d$. Let $p_1,\dots,p_m$ be all lattice points in $P$. Question: What is the condition on $P$ that guarantees ...
Per Alexandersson's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
181 views

Refined f- and h-partition polynomials of the associahedra

The f-polynomials, $F_n(x)$ (cf. OEIS A126216, A033282, and A086810), and the h-polynomials, $H_n(x)$ (cf. A001263, the Narayana polynomials), of the family of simple convex polytopes the associahedra ...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k
3 votes
1 answer
158 views

Cyclic polytopes whose boundary is a flag complex

A cyclic polytope $C(n, d)$ is defined as the convex hull of $n$ distinct points on the moment curve in $\mathbb{R}^d$ (here $n>d$). This is a simplicial polytope so its boundary $\partial C(n, d)$ ...
Priyavrat Deshpande's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
102 views

The ring generated by a convex polytope and its faces

Let $V=\Bbb R^n$. Morelli defined the (commutative unital) ring $L(V)$ to be the additive group generated by the indicator functions of convex polytopes in $V$ with multiplication induced by Minkowski ...
Avi Steiner's user avatar
  • 3,079
3 votes
1 answer
159 views

Are cyclic orbitopes of permutahedra necessarily simplicies?

Suppose that $v=(v_1,\ldots, v_d)\in \mathbb{R}^d$ lies in the linear subspace $v_1+\cdots +v_d=0$, and moreover that the coordinates are pairwise distinct. The permutahedron \begin{equation} P(\...
Bob's user avatar
  • 439
2 votes
0 answers
252 views

Understanding the geometry of $H_{n}=\{\vec{x} \in [-N,N]^n:\sum_{i=1}^n x_i = 0\}$

I am not an expert in convex geometry but if we define $a_i \sim \mathcal{U}([-N,N])$ where $[-N,N] \subset \mathbb{R}$ and $S_n = \sum_{i=1}^n a_i$ I suspect that for arbitrary $N \in [1, \infty) $: ...
Aidan Rocke's user avatar
  • 3,871
2 votes
0 answers
165 views

Link of a power series by the Bernoullis for a Riccati equation to zonotopes?

On pg. 85 of The Rise and Development of Theory of Series up to the Early 1820s by Ferraro is a series soln. of $$ d^2z/z = -x^2dx^2 $$ related to the reputed first appearance of a Riccati-type eqn.,...
Tom Copeland's user avatar
  • 10.5k