All Questions
550 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
38
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Converse of the Archimedean property of the sphere
In his remarkable book On the Sphere and Cylinder, where he came tantalizingly close to discovering calculus, Archimedes showed that the area of the portion of the sphere contained between a pair of ...
- 7,149
36
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Two-convexity ⇒ Lefschetz?
Assume that
$\Omega$ is an open simply connected set in $\mathbb R^n$
(two-convexity) if 3 faces of a 3-simplex belong to $\Omega$ then whole simplex in $\Omega$.
Is it true that any component of ...
- 45k
28
votes
0
answers
546
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 $n$-...
- 7,276
20
votes
0
answers
433
views
Is the dodecahedron flexible (as a polytope with fixed edge-lengths)?
Consider the (regular) dodecahedron $D\subset\Bbb R^3$. I want to continuously deform it so that throughout the deformation
it stays a convex polytope,
it stays a combinatorial dodecahedron (i.e. its ...
- 13.6k
19
votes
0
answers
551
views
Talagrand's "Creating convexity" conjecture
We say a subset $A$ of $\mathbb{R}^N$ is balanced if
\begin{equation}
x \in A, \lambda \in [-1,1] \implies \lambda x \in A.
\end{equation}
Given a subset $A$ of $\mathbb{R}^N$, we write
\begin{...
- 484
19
votes
0
answers
641
views
Is there a simpler proof of the key lemma in the paper by Hiroshi Iriyeh and Masataka Shibata on the 3D Mahler conjecture?
In this remarkable paper 30 pages are occupied by the proof of the following innocently looking lemma:
Let $K$ be an origin-symmetric convex body in $\mathbb R^3$. There exist three planes through ...
- 61.9k
14
votes
0
answers
261
views
Dividing a convex region to minimize average distances
Let $C$ be a convex region in the plane with area 1 that contains distinct points $p_1,\dots,p_n$. Say I'd like to divide $C$ into $n$ pieces $C_1,\dots,C_n$, each of area $1/n$, and I'd like to ...
- 4,049
14
votes
0
answers
310
views
How large are the smallest-area projections of a high-dimensional convex body?
Let $B$ be a convex body in $\mathbb{R}^d$, equipped with its standard Euclidean form, and assume that
$$\intop_B x \, dx = 0$$
$$\frac{1}{|B|_d} \intop_B x_i x_j \, dx = \delta_{ij},$$
a ...
- 4,000
14
votes
0
answers
479
views
Does every convex polyhedron have a combinatorially isomorphic counterpart whose angles between edges are rational multiples of $\pi$?
After reading these very interesting questions, I came up with another one:
Does every convex polyhedron have a combinatorially isomorphic counterpart whose angles between all pairs of edges meeting ...
- 532
14
votes
0
answers
4k
views
Minimum tiling of a rectangle by squares
Given the $n\times m$ rectangle, I want to compute the minimum number of integer-sided squares needed to tile it (possibly of different sizes).
Is there an efficient way to calculate this?
- 1,015
13
votes
0
answers
573
views
What are the known convex polyhedra with congruent faces?
Note: I originally asked this question on math.SE here, where I posted a bounty on the question but received no answers after a week despite apparent interest in the problem. I'm hoping MathOverflow ...
- 3,068
13
votes
0
answers
495
views
Unit ball of smallest volume in a Hilbert geometry
In a letter to Felix Klein published in Mathematische Annalen 1895 (see here), Hilbert generalized the Cayley-Klein model of hyperbolic geometry by defining a metric on the interior of a convex body ...
- 13.5k
13
votes
0
answers
252
views
Does there always exist a self dual polytope that contains a given polytope contained in its dual?
Suppose a polytope $P$ is contained in its dual polytope $\tilde{P}$. Does there always exist a polytope $Q$ that contains $P$ and is self dual $Q=\tilde{Q}$? Is there any bound on the minimal number ...
- 241
13
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Constructive aspects of Caratheodory's theorem in convex analysis
Let me paraphrase Caratheodory's theorem in a probabilistic setup:
Let $X$ be a real-valued random variable. For $k = 1, \ldots, m$, let $f_k: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ be a continuous function such ...
- 1,839
11
votes
0
answers
717
views
John-type theorems: trading structure for accuracy?
Given two symmetric convex bodies $B, B'$ in ${\bf R}^d$, define the Banach-Mazur distance $d(B,B')$ between them to be the least constant $\tau \geq 1$ such that
$$ B \subset TB' \subset \tau B$$
for ...
- 114k
10
votes
0
answers
265
views
Plank invariant measures on convex bodies
Let $K\subset R^2$ be a convex body, i.e., a compact convex set with interior points. A plank $P$ is the region between a pair of parallel lines in $R^2$. Let us say that $P$ intersects $K$ properly ...
- 7,149
10
votes
0
answers
722
views
Fractional Matching version of Hall's Marriage theorem
Let $G=(S,T,E)$ be a bipartite graph, $|S|=|T|$. Then the following are equivalent:
1) there exist a perfect matching in $G$;
2) there exist non-negative weights on edges such that the sum of ...
- 109k
10
votes
0
answers
342
views
Bang's open question strengthening Tarski's planks problem
Tarski's Planks problem,
solved by Thøger Bang in 1951, says (in a simplified $\mathbb{R}^2$ version) that it requires
"planks" (parallel strips) of total width $\ge d$ in order to completely cover
a ...
- 151k
10
votes
0
answers
787
views
Isoperimetric inequality, isodiametric inequality, hyperplane conjecture... what are the inequalities of this kind known or conjectured?
I duplicate here a question I asked on math.stackexchange.
Question: Which inequalities similar to the famous isoperimetric inequality is known?
conjectured?
I recently learned about some ...
10
votes
0
answers
385
views
How aspherical can a Gömböc be?
A Gömböc is a homogeneous massive convex solid that can rest on a horizontal plane in just two positions of equilibrium under gravity: one stable and the other unstable. How small a proportion of the ...
- 2,437
9
votes
0
answers
137
views
A self-isometry of the sphere of a strictly convex Banach space that does not move basic vectors
Problem. Let $n\in\mathbb N$, $X$ be a strictly convex $n$-dimensional real Banach space, $S_X=\{x\in X:\|x\|=1\}$ be the unit sphere of $X$, and $e_1,\dots,e_n\in S_X$ be linearly independent points. ...
- 41.8k
9
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Existence of barycenter
Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space. A barycenter of a Borel probability measure $\mu$ on $X$ is a minimizer of the function
\begin{equation}
\begin{split}
f \colon X & \to \mathbb{R}\\
x &\mapsto \...
- 1,347
9
votes
0
answers
380
views
An affine invariant of convex bodies
The following invariants of "pointed" convex bodies (i.e., pairs consisting of a convex body and a distinguished point in its interior) roughly measure how many of its linear images fit between the ...
- 13.5k
8
votes
0
answers
118
views
Defining convex sums locally on the sphere?
$S^1$ and the torus $T^2$ are spaces in which convex combinations don't make sense globally but do locally. Despite their standard representations in $\mathbf{R}^2$ and $\mathbf{R}^3$ respectively not ...
- 637
8
votes
0
answers
315
views
Minkowski's convex body theorem for ellipsoids
Minkowski's theorem states that if $K\subseteq\mathbb{Z}^n$ is a convex compact set, $K=-K$, and $\mathrm{volume}(K)\geq 2^n$, then $K$ contains a nonzero integral vector.
Can this bound be improved ...
- 219
8
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Infinite Linear Programming
I'm trying to prove optimality for a continuous linear program. That is, I have a linear program with an uncountable number of variables and constraints. I'm not sure how to demonstrate feasibility ...
- 133
7
votes
0
answers
315
views
Sandwiching ellipses between planar convex bodies
Let $K$ and $L$ be planar convex bodies which are not ellipses. Does there exist an affine image $K'$ of $K$ such that
$K' \subset L$
No ellipse $E$ satisfies $K' \subset E \subset L$
I am also ...
- 4,653
7
votes
0
answers
432
views
(geodesic) smoothness of f-divergence with respect to the Wasserstein metric
We consider the f-divergence, which takes the form
$$
D_f(P \| Q) = \int_\Omega f\left(\frac{dP}{dQ}\right) dQ.
$$
For example, when $f(t) = t \log t$, we obtain the KL-divergence.
My question is ...
- 1,127
7
votes
0
answers
904
views
Geometry of level sets of a convex function
EDIT: Let $\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^n$ be an open subset. Let $f\colon \Omega\to\mathbb{R}$ be a function such that for some $\lambda$ the function $f(x)+\lambda |x|^2$ is convex. Assume that the ...
- 21.8k
7
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Closed-form solution of a linear programming question
Among all the probability matrices
\begin{equation*}
P =
\left(\begin{array}{cccc}
p_{00} & p_{01} & \ldots & p_{0,J-1} \\
p_{10} & p_{11} & \ldots & p_{1,J-1} \\
\vdots & \...
7
votes
0
answers
152
views
Almost Isodiametric Sets
Hi,
The isodiametric inequality tells us that, of all sets of diameter $r$, the one with the largest Lebesgue measure is the ball of radius $r/2$ - and this holds regardless of norm. Let $\tau(r)$ be ...
- 131
6
votes
0
answers
48
views
Strengthening the Kovner-Besicovich theorem: Does every unit-area convex set in the plane contain a centrally symmetric hexagon of area $2/3$?
The Kovner-Besicovich theorem states that every convex set $S$ in the plane contains a centrally symmetric subset $C$ of at least $2/3$ the area of $S$, and that this bound is sharp for triangular $S$....
- 3,068
6
votes
0
answers
80
views
A sufficient condition for being the boundary of one's convex hull?
Let $A\subset\mathbb R^n$ be such that:
every non-zero linear functional is maximized by a unique point of $A$
every point of $A$ is a point where some linear functional achieves its maximum over $A$...
- 2,555
6
votes
1
answer
489
views
What inequalities for convex sets are known since the work of Scott and Awyong?
In 2000, Paul R. Scott and Poh Way Awyong published the paper Inequalities for Convex Sets, which nicely collates the known results relating various natural geometric functionals (diameter, area, etc.)...
- 3,068
6
votes
0
answers
109
views
"Moduli space" of isotropic convex bodies?
A lot of questions in convex geometry revolve around the geometry of isotropic convex bodies in $\mathbb{R^n}$.
To my knowledge there is no, or very little study of a space such as :
$$C_n = \{...
- 245
6
votes
0
answers
113
views
Convex hull of the orbit of a matrix under permutations
Let $P$ be a generic permutation matrix on $\mathbb{R}^n$. For any vector $x \in \mathbb{R}^n$, the convex hull of the set $\{ Px : \; \text{$P$ is a permutation matrix}\}$ is the set of vectors ...
- 1,731
6
votes
0
answers
280
views
Alexandrov-Fenchel inequality for sets of positive reach
If $E$ is a convex subset of $\mathbb{R}^n$ with $|E| = |B_1|$, then one consequence of the classical Alexandrov-Fenchel inequalities from convex geometry is that
$$\int_{\partial E} H_{\partial E} \,...
- 4,899
6
votes
0
answers
190
views
Measure-minimizing simplex with fixed inradius
Let $\Delta^n$ be an $n$-simplex in $\mathbb{R}^n$. Let $V$ be the volume and $r$ the inradius (radius of the inscribed sphere) of $\Delta^n$. There is a well-known result that
$$
V \geq \frac{n^{n/2}(...
- 73
6
votes
0
answers
97
views
Finding the optimal mixture of two convex functions
I am trying to find an efficient way to solve the problem $$\min_{p,x_1,x_2} p\cdot f(x_1)+ (1-p) \cdot f(x_2)~~~~~ s.t.\\p\cdot g_1(x_1) + (1-p)\cdot g_2(x_2)\leq 1 \\ 0\leq p \leq 1$$ where $x_1,x_2\...
6
votes
0
answers
181
views
Looking for the correct version of a wrong statement from Barvinok's book on convex polyhedra
The book I'm concerned with is "Integer Points in Polyhedra" by A. Barvinok, which, I must say, is turning out to be highly fascinating.
A real finite-dimensional vector space $V$ defines the ...
- 3,513
6
votes
0
answers
160
views
Norms and distributions
Question 1. Is there a nice or explicit way to describe the class of all distributions (generalized functions) $\mu$ on the $n$-sphere $S^n \subset \mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ for which the function
$$
F(v) := \...
- 13.5k
6
votes
0
answers
317
views
Variant of orthogonal Procrustes problem
The orthogonal Procrustes problem seeks a matrix $M$ that minimizes $||AM-B||_F$ subject to $M^TM=I$, where $M$ is $d\times d$ and both $A$ and $B$ are $n\times d$. Geometrically, $M$ rotates a set of ...
- 61
6
votes
0
answers
189
views
Variations on a problem of S. Mazur
In problem 76 of the Scottish Book Mazur asked
Given a convex body $K$ in three-dimensional space and a point $o$ in its interior, consider the surface $S$ formed by all points $p$ such that the ...
- 13.5k
6
votes
0
answers
237
views
Generalization of the non-existence of a monostatic planar body
Domokos, Papadopulos, and Ruina showed that there does not exist a convex planar rigid body of uniform density which has only
one orientation of stable equilibrium and one orientation of unstable ...
- 5,971
6
votes
0
answers
387
views
Local minimum from directional derivatives in the space of convex bodies
I have a function $f(K)$ defined on the space of three-dimensional convex bodies for which I want to show that the unit ball $B$ is a local minimum. I have been able to show if $K$ is not homothetic ...
- 5,971
6
votes
1
answer
295
views
A conjecture (or theorem?) on unit vectors in a Euclidean space
I have heard (if I am not mistaken) that there exists the following conjecture (or theorem?).
Let $u_1,\dots,u_n$ be unit vectors in an $n$-dimensional Euclidean vector space. Then there exists ...
- 21.8k
6
votes
1
answer
254
views
Triangulations of convex surfaces
Let $M$ be a smooth closed positively curved surface in Euclidean 3-space, $T$ be a geodesic triangulation of $M$, and $E$ be the edge graph of the convex hull of vertices of $T$.
It is easy to see ...
- 7,149
5
votes
0
answers
145
views
Are there convex polyhedrons that can be cut into mutually congruent connected pieces only if pieces are non-convex?
This is the 3D (and higher D) version of A claim on partitioning a convex planar region into congruent pieces
Is there a 3D convex polyhedral solid that can be cut into 2 mutually congruent non-...
- 5,979
5
votes
0
answers
158
views
Log Sobolev inequality uniform in parameters
Fix a positive integer $N$. For $\theta \in [0,2\pi]$, set $\sigma_k(\theta) :=(\cos(k\theta),\sin(k\theta)) \in S^1$ for each integer $1\leq k\leq N$. Now for vectors $x_1,\ldots,x_N\in \mathbb{R}^2$,...
- 873
5
votes
0
answers
233
views
Reference request for convex geometry?
I am looking for a reference for an elementary convex geometry.
In Appendix A (page 1810) of this paper by Green and Tao, they cover some basic results from elementary convex geometry. The results ...
- 3,625