All Questions
Tagged with mg.metric-geometry discrete-geometry
671 questions
10
votes
2
answers
387
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What is Kept Fixed for Flexible Spheres
For background to this question much recent exciting related things, see this videotaped lecture by Alexander Gaifullin.
Consider a triangulation $K$ of a two-dimensional sphere and consider maps ...
- 24.7k
10
votes
2
answers
326
views
Do maximal polyhedra have algebraic volume?
Is it possible to prove that for every $n > 3$ the maximal possible volume of a convex polyhedron having $n$ vertices inscribed in a sphere of unit radius is an algebraic number?
Update: What can ...
- 6,819
10
votes
1
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623
views
Polyhedron not circumscribed about a sphere
Let $P$ be a polyhedron whose faces are colored black and white so that there are more black faces and no two black faces are adjacent. Show that $P$ is not circumscribed about a sphere.
My teacher ...
- 1,090
10
votes
2
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280
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Monochromatic point sets in two-colored plane
Which are the configrations $P\subset \mathbb{R}^2$ of points, such that the following property holds:
Property M (for Monochromatic): Every two-coloring of $\mathbb{R}^2$ contains a monochromatic ...
- 10.7k
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1
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9k
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Get Largest Inscribed Rectangle of a Concave Polygon
I'm looking for an algorithm to find a set of largest inscribed rectangles of a concave polygon where each rectangle must be collinear with one of the edges of the polygon.
In other words, I want to ...
- 325
10
votes
3
answers
537
views
Perimeter-halving center of a convex shape
Let $P$ be a convex polygon (or any convex body in $\mathbb{R}^2$)
with perimeter of length $1$. Call a chord $c$ of $P$ perimeter-halving
if half the perimeter lies to one side of $c$
(and so half to ...
- 151k
10
votes
3
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460
views
Do triple-linked graphs exist?
Lets say that a finite simple graph $G$ is (intrinsically) fully triple-linked if for each embedding of $G$ into $\Bbb R^3$ we can find three disjoint cycles $C_1,C_2,C_3\subset G$ whose embeddings ...
- 13.6k
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votes
2
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256
views
Is the face lattice of the cube a polytope graph?
The face lattice of a
convex polytope $P\subset\Bbb R^d$ is the partially ordered set whose elements are the faces of $P$ ordered by inclusion. We can turn it into a graph by considering its Hasse ...
- 13.6k
10
votes
2
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375
views
How many small dots can be drawn in a region such that no three are "collinear"?
When people draw dots on paper, they are actually not points, but small regions filled with ink. Suppose that each dot has disc-shape with fixed radius $r\ll 1$ and must be drawn inside (1) a square ...
- 909
10
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1
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277
views
Optimization of points on a plane
Suppose we have $n$ points on a plane. Let $D$ be the sum of the squares of all the pairwise distances between the points. Let $A$ be the area of the convex hull. What is the minimum possible value of ...
- 1,129
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1
answer
673
views
A random variation on Pólya's orchard problem
Pólya's orchard problem is as follows:
"How thick must the
trunks of the trees in a regularly spaced circular orchard grow if they are
to block completely the view from the center?"
See, e....
- 151k
10
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1
answer
159
views
For what $n$ do there exist non-periodic tilings with rotational symmetry of order $n$?
More precisely, given an integer $n$, does there exist a non-periodic tiling, where there are infinitely many patches within the tiling, of indefinitely large area, with rotational symmetry of order $...
- 273
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1
answer
465
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Chord arrangement that avoids confining small or large disks
These two questions are two-dimensional variations on this recent MO question,
"Threading pinholes in the wall of cylinder to pass through an internal coordinate."
Noam Elkies suggested that even a 2D ...
- 151k
10
votes
3
answers
500
views
Given the skeleton of an inscribed polytope. If I move the vertices so that no edge increases in length, can the circumradius still get larger?
Let $P\subset \Bbb R^n$ be an inscribed convex polytope, that is, all its vertices are on a common sphere of radius $r$.
Let $G$ be the edge-graph of $P$. For convenience, assume $V(G)=\{1,\dotsc,s\}$....
- 13.6k
10
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1
answer
300
views
Optimal shape for stabbing balls in $\mathbb{R}^3$
I have radius $r < \frac{1}{2}$ congruent balls with centers randomly distributed uniformly within a region,
say, within a unit-radius sphere $S$.
I shoot a ray/path through $S$, hoping to ...
- 151k
10
votes
2
answers
930
views
What is determined by the combinatorics of the shadows of a convex polyhedron?
Define the shadow of a convex polyhedron $P$ in direction $u$
to be the orthogonal projection of $P$ onto a plane whose normal is $u$.
The shadow is a convex $k$-gon.
I am wondering to what degree $P$ ...
- 151k
10
votes
1
answer
535
views
Maximum number of Vertices of Hypercube covered by Ball of radius R
Let $R>0$ be given and let $H^n$ be the unit hypercube in $\mathbb{R}^n$. The problem I am facing is to find the maximum number of vertices of $H^n$ which can be covered by a closed $n$-dimensional ...
- 185
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0
answers
177
views
Minimum reflection paths in a mirror polygon
Let $P$ be a simple, orthogonal polygon of $n$ edges, i.e., one whose edges meet at right angles,
and is non-self-intersecting;
also known as a rectilinear polygon.
Treat every edge of $P$ as a ...
- 151k
10
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0
answers
493
views
Rectangology and squareology
I thought that rectangles were simple, and squares even simpler. Until my research has led me to several questions about rectangles and squares, which I can't solve.
I started by posting this question ...
- 3,549
10
votes
0
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1k
views
Interpolating points with minimum curvature constraint
I have $n$ points $p_i$ strictly interior to a rectangle $R$,
and I would like to connect them with a curve $C$ whose curvature is as low as possible.
Let $\kappa_\max(C)$ be the sharpest (largest ...
- 151k
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Generalization of Sylvester-Gallai theorem
The Sylvester-Gallai theorem states that it is not possible to arrange a finite number
of points so that a line through every two of them passes through a
third unless they are all on a single ...
9
votes
2
answers
310
views
Generalized figures of constant width
Is it known which plane figures $Q$ can rotate touching three given circles $A$, $B$, and $C$?
This question was asked by Lazar Lyusternik in 1946, there is only one reference to this paper that ...
- 45k
9
votes
1
answer
370
views
Largest convex hull of a unit length path
What is the largest area possible for the convex hull of a path of unit length lying on a plane? For what paths is that largest area attained?
- 851
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votes
3
answers
525
views
Mutually tangent ellipsoids in 3 space
I recently heard a claim that for any n, it is possible to arrange n ellipsoids in 3 space such that each pair of ellipsoids is kissing. Is this true, and if so, how?
Edit: By kissing, I mean that I ...
- 1,601
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3
answers
1k
views
What rectangles can a set of rectangles tile?
(I asked this question first on math.stackexchange, but did not get any responses so I thought I would try here.)
If we have a set of $p_i \times q_i$ rectangles ($p_i, q_i \in \mathbf{N}$), which $m \...
- 431
9
votes
1
answer
542
views
Tracking a reference: "Karl Scherer, A Puzzling Journey to the Reptiles and Related Animals"
I linked a paper by James Schmerl in a recent question which cites Karl Scherer, A Puzzling Journey to the Reptiles and Related Animals, Privately Published, 1987.
I have had difficulty finding any ...
9
votes
2
answers
321
views
Is a polytope that has in-spheres for faces of all dimensions already regular?
Let $P\subset\Bbb R^d$ be a convex polytope (convex hull of finitely many points).
A $k$-in-sphere of $P$ is a sphere centered at the origin to which each $k$-face of $P$ is tangent. So a 0-in-sphere ...
- 13.6k
9
votes
1
answer
160
views
Hyperplane arrangements whose regions all have the same shape
Suppose I have a (finite, real, central, essential) hyperplane arrangement $\mathcal{H}$ such that all regions "have the same shape": for any two regions $R,R'$, there is an orthogonal ...
- 2,753
9
votes
4
answers
371
views
Diameter of random segment intersection graph?
I have an even number of points $n$ randomly distributed (uniformly) in a disk.
Then the points are randomly connected to form $n/2$ segments, a perfect
matching.
Finally, I form the intersection ...
- 151k
9
votes
2
answers
598
views
Dissecting Ramanujan´s Cuboid: 1729 = 19 x 13 x 7
Consider the cuboid of dimensions 19 x 13 x 7 whose volume is 1729, the Hardy-Ramanujan number. What is the least number of smaller cuboids into which it can be dissected so that the resulting pieces ...
- 3,707
9
votes
1
answer
665
views
Question about tetrahedron decomposition
Are there tetrahedra which can be subdivided into three non-overlapping parts similar to the original? I believe this would require splitting one face into three parts. I know some types of tetrahedra ...
- 93
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1
answer
2k
views
Billiard dynamics with angle of reflection a fraction of angle of incidence
Suppose that a billiard ball bouncing in a unit square (or a lightray reflecting
in a mirrored square) has the property that the angle of reflection is a fraction
of the angle of incidence, rather ...
- 151k
9
votes
1
answer
484
views
Which values can attain the minimum solid angle in a simplex
Given a simplex $S$ with a vertex $v$ by the solid angle at this vertex I mean the value $\hbox{vol}(B \cap S)/\hbox{vol}(B)$ where $B$ is a small enough ball centered at $v$ (for example, in the ...
- 976
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2
answers
3k
views
get a point in polygon (maximize the distance from borders)
I have several 2D polygons represented by lists of xy-coordinates of their vertices.
It is needed to get several points inside the polygon so that they lie possibly far from the polygon's borders (...
9
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1
answer
338
views
Visibility in a growing orchard
This is a variant on Polya's orchard problem.1,2
Suppose trees are planted randomly in the plane.
The question is: How many trees are visible from the origin as
their radii grow?
More precisely, ...
- 151k
9
votes
0
answers
144
views
Which polytopes have compact realization spaces?
Let $P\subset\Bbb R^d$ be a convex polytope.
Its reduced realization space is the space of all combinatorially equivalent polytopes modulo projective transformations.
I am interested in polytopes for ...
- 13.6k
9
votes
0
answers
187
views
Cubing the cube - as 'perfectly' as possible
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squaring_the_square
A perfect cubing of a cube is a partition of the cube into some finite number of smaller cubes that are pair-wise non-congruent. The above page ...
- 5,979
9
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0
answers
100
views
A characterization of root systems via their intersections with halfspaces
In a recent preprint I obtained a nice characterization of root systems as a side product.
I can imagine that this was known before, and that a source for this statement can shorten the proof of my ...
- 13.6k
9
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0
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237
views
Herding sheep in a polygon
Imagine sheep fill a simple (simply connected) polygon $P$, except
at one vertex $x$ there is no sheep.
One convex vertex $g$ of $P$ is a gate through which the sheep should pass.
A herding dog sits ...
- 151k
8
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Combinatorial distance ≡ Euclidean distance
Definition: A polytope has property X iff there is a function f:N+ → R+ such that for each pair of vertices vi, vj the following holds:
disteuclidean(vi, vj) = f(distcombinatorial(vi, vj))
with ...
- 9,720
8
votes
2
answers
591
views
Cutting a spherical surface into mutually non-congruent pieces of equal area
Question: For what values of integer $n$ can the surface of a sphere be partitioned into $n$ convex and mutually non-congruent pieces of same area? (convexity could be viewed as geodesic convexity). ...
- 5,979
8
votes
1
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361
views
Inscribed $n$-polytope with $2^n$ vertices of maximal volume
The question is in the title:
Question: Which inscribed $n$-dimensional polytope (inscribed in the unit sphere) with $2^n$ vertices has the largest possible volume?
Is it the $n$-dimensional cube? ...
- 283
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What's the name of this geometric mathematical modeling problem?
There is a right angle corner with width 1 in both directions. One wants to find the largest area shape which can pass through this corner.
I know that this is a famous problem, but what is it called?
- 549
8
votes
4
answers
530
views
Inside-out polygonal dissections
A dissection of a polygon $P$
is a partition of $P$ into a finite number of pieces, which can then be rearranged
(via planar translations and rotations) and joined (without overlap) to form a new ...
- 151k
8
votes
2
answers
2k
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Embedding points in 2D based on distance estimates?
Suppose we have a collection of exactly $N$ points (say $N=1000$), with each point belonging to 2-dimensional Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^2$, but we don't know the coordinates of the points. Suppose ...
- 4,229
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 ...
- 13.6k
8
votes
1
answer
246
views
A vertical line with many intersections with $n$ non-parallel lines
Pick $n\ge 3$ non-vertical lines $\mathscr{L}:=\{\ell_1,\ldots,\ell_n\}$ in the plane which are pairwise non-parallel, and they are not all concurrent in a single point.
Question. Does there exist a ...
- 1,511
8
votes
2
answers
371
views
Are angles between points enough to decide the realizability?
Let n points in the plane be given whose coordinates we don't know.
Assume, however, that for any triple of the points we know the angle.
Question: Can we decide whether the n points are realizable ...
- 245