Skip to main content

All Questions

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
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
22 votes
3 answers
2k views

Covering a circle with red and blue arcs

We have a circle and two families of $n$ red arcs and $n$ blue arcs, positioned on the circle so that every two arcs of different colors intersect. Can one show that there is a point in the perimeter ...
Gjergji Zaimi's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
1k views

A Weak Form of Borsuk's Conjecture

Problem: Let P be a d-dimensional polytope with n facets. Is it always true that P can be covered by n sets of smaller diameter? Background and motivation The Borsuk conjecture (disproved in 1993) ...
Gil Kalai's user avatar
  • 24.7k
20 votes
3 answers
1k views

mixing convex and concave for convexity

Let $n\in\mathbb{N}$ and $0<x<1$ be a real number. Is the following a convex function of $x$? $$G_n(x)=\log\left(\frac{(1+x^{4n+1})(1+x^{4n-1})(1+x^{2n})(1-x^{2n+1})}{(1+x^{2n+1})(1-x^{2n+2})}\...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
504 views

Tverberg's theorem in CAT(0) spaces

Does Tverberg's theorem hold for CAT(0) spaces of covering dimension $d<\infty$: Is it true that for any $d$-dimensional $CAT(0)$-space $X$ and a subset $E\subset X$ of cardinality $(d + 1)(r - ...
Misha's user avatar
  • 31.2k
12 votes
3 answers
707 views

A "round" lattice with low kissing number?

Historically, the lattices with high density were studied intensively, e.g. E_8 lattice or Leech Lattice. However, there are situations that lattices with low kissing number are required. Specifically,...
Kore Min's user avatar
  • 139
10 votes
2 answers
496 views

Inequalities for averaging over partially ordered sets

Let's start from a classical inequality: If $0\le a_1\le\cdots\le a_k$ and $0\le b_1\le\cdots\le b_k$ then $(a_1+\cdots+a_k)(b_1+\cdots+b_k)\le k(a_1b_1+\cdots+a_k b_k)$. It can be written also in ...
Dmitry Kerner's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
302 views

Are plactic classes convex under the right weak Bruhat order?

For those who are unfamiliar with the terminology, I'll explain a little. The symmetric group $S_n$, as a type A Coxeter group, has generators $\{s_1,\ldots,s_{n-1}\}$ with relations (1) $s_i^2$ for ...
Kurt Luoto's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
275 views

Log-concavity of lattice-functions and convolution

I was looking at the definition of log-concavity: A function $F:\mathbb{R}^n\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ is said log-concave iff $F(x)\geq 0\forall x\in\mathbb{R}^n$ and $$F(x)^\lambda F(y)^{1-\lambda}\leq ...
Rafael's user avatar
  • 93
4 votes
1 answer
115 views

What is the probability of an empty convex $k$-gon among many given points?

Given a finite number of points in the plane in general position, call a convex subset empty if its hull doesn't contain any other of the points. For a big number $n$ of randomly distributed ...
Wolfgang's user avatar
  • 13.4k
4 votes
0 answers
154 views

How many convex or concave subsets are contained in an arbitrary set of $n$ real numbers?

This question is closely related to this post. A set $A=\{a_1<a_2<\dots<a_n\} \subset \mathbb R$ is said to be convex if the consecutive differences are non-decreasing, i.e. if $a_{j+1} - a_j ...
Oliver Roche-Newton's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
735 views

Tverberg partitions with less than (r-1)(d+1)+1 points

The Tverberg Theorem states the following: Let $x_1,x_2,\dots, x_m$ be points in $R^d$ with $m \ge (r-1)(d+1)+1$. Then there is a partition $S_1,S_2,\dots, S_r$ of $\{1,2,\dots,m\}$ such that $\cap _{...
Arnau's user avatar
  • 278
3 votes
1 answer
460 views

Generating uniquely $k$-optimal point sets

This question is motivated by the observation that finding an optimal tour through a set of points in the Euclidean plane is especially simple, if the points are in convex configuration and, that the ...
Manfred Weis's user avatar
  • 13.2k
3 votes
0 answers
187 views

A subclass of log-concave functions satifying a sum inequality

Suppose $f:[0,\infty)\to[0,\infty)$ is continuous and for all positive integers $m$ and real $x\geq0$, $\alpha,\beta>0$: $$ \sum\limits_{k+n=m}[f(x+\alpha+k)f(x+\beta+n)-f(x+k)f(x+\alpha+\beta+n)]\...
Dmitry Karp's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
97 views

Calculating a Combinatorial Generalization of Planar Convex Hulls

In this question I have suggested a generalization of the notion of a set of points in the Euclidean plane being in convex configuration to the set of vertices of symmetric weighted graphs via $k$-...
Manfred Weis's user avatar
  • 13.2k