All Questions
Tagged with mg.metric-geometry nt.number-theory
86 questions
49
votes
4
answers
4k
views
What fraction of the integer lattice can be seen from the origin?
Consider the integer lattice points in the positive quadrant $Q$ of $\mathbb{Z}^2$.
Say that a point $(x,y)$ of $Q$ is visible from the origin if the
segment from $(0,0)$ to $(x,y) \in Q$ passes ...
- 151k
34
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Tiling a square with rectangles
Is it possible to completely tile a square with different rectangles of integer sides but all with the same area?
The original problem, not requiring integer sides for rectangles, was proposed by Joe ...
- 3,707
30
votes
0
answers
747
views
Is there an Ehrhart polynomial for Gaussian integers
Let $N$ be a positive integer and let $P \subset \mathbb{C}$ be a polygon whose vertices are of the form $(a_1+b_1 i)/N$, $(a_2+b_2 i)/N$, ..., $(a_r+b_r i)/N$, with $a_j + b_j i$ being various ...
- 156k
28
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Patterns among integer-distance points
Mark each point of $\mathbb{N}^2$ ($\mathbb{N}$ the natural numbers) if its
Euclidean distance from the origin is an integer. One obtains a plot like this, symmetric about the $45^\circ$ diagonal.
...
- 151k
24
votes
4
answers
2k
views
A reinterpretation of the $abc$ - conjecture in terms of metric spaces?
I hope it is appropriate to ask this question here:
One formulation of the abc-conjecture is
$$ c < \text{rad}(abc)^2$$
where $\gcd(a,b)=1$ and $c=a+b$. This is equivalent to ($a,b$ being ...
user6671
22
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Characterization of Volumes of Lattice Cubes
This is a cross post from Math SE that no one seemed able to solve.
Here is a problem that came up in a conversation with a professor after I made a false assumption about the geometry of $\mathbb{Z}^...
- 612
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Sphere packings : what next after the recent breakthrough of Viazovska (et al.)?
Given the march 2016 breakthrough concerning sphere packings by Viazovska for the case of dimension 8, and by Cohn, Kumar, Miller, Radchenko and Viazovska for the case of dimension 24, it follows that ...
- 883
18
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Assistance with understanding parent/child relationships in Pythagorean Triples
I want to start by apologising for what is probably a weak attempt at a question on a site like this, but I'm having trouble understand a concept that doesn't seem to be properly explained elsewhere - ...
- 283
18
votes
0
answers
667
views
The lonely molecule
Suppose $n$ air molecules (infinitesimal points) are bouncing around in
a unit $d$-dimensional cube, with perfectly elastic wall collisions.
Let $k=n^{\frac{1}{d}}$.
For example, in 3D, $d=3$, with $n=...
- 151k
17
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Almost monochromatic point sets
There are many sort of equivalent theorems about monochromatic configurations in finite colorings, such as Van der Waerden, Hales-Jewett or Gallai's theorem, the latter of which states that in a ...
- 18.8k
16
votes
1
answer
533
views
Is there a degenerate simplex in $\mathbb{R}^{8 k-1}$ with odd integer edge lengths?
The Cayley-Menger determinant gives the squared volume of a simplex in $\mathbb{R}^n$ as a function of its $n(n+1)/2$ edge lengths:
$$v_n^2 = \frac{(-1)^{n+1}}{(n!)^2 2^n}
\begin{vmatrix}
0&d_{01}^...
- 2,902
14
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Right triangle with edge lengths equal to regular unit polygon edge lengths
This question came up naturally recently from a blog post of John Baez. There is an observation of Euclid that edges of a pentagon, hexagon, and decagon inscribed in a unit circle form the edges of a ...
- 68.9k
14
votes
1
answer
837
views
Applications of the GCD metric
In the pre-MO era, I once realized that on the integers, the function
$$
d(m, n) := \sqrt{\log \frac{\sqrt{mn}} {\text{gcd}(m,n)}}\ ,
$$
is a metric (all properties are easily verified; in fact ...
- 28.6k
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Polygonal billards programs
I'm looking for software that will give billiard trajectories in arbitrary plane polygons. After much work I was able to produce this figure.
(source)
It was a good exercise, but at this point I ...
- 22.8k
12
votes
1
answer
585
views
Heronian triangle with two sides that are prime
Can any prime number form a Heronian triangle with a second prime as another side? I cannot find a second prime to form a Heronian triangle with either 23 or 167. I have checked up to the 10^7th prime ...
- 189
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,...
- 139
11
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Defining Euler's number via elementary euclidean geometry (and a dimension limit)
Let $B_n$ be a closed ball in euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^n$, and consider the largest cube $Q_n$ contained in $B_n$. Then, let $C_n$ be a cube of maximal size that is contained in $B_n$ and disjoint ...
- 1,942
11
votes
4
answers
447
views
Sequential addition of points on a circle, optimizing asymptotic packing radius
Suppose I have to put $N$ points $x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_N$ on the circle $S^1$ of length 1 so as to achieve the largest minimum separation (packing radius). The optimal solution is the equally spaced ...
- 5,971
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Could a perfect squared square be split into two perfect squared squares?
This is a geometric puzzle though it might conceivably
also define a special class of Pythagorean triples.
A perfect squared square PSS is a square (as a plane figure)
partitioned into smaller ...
- 1,375
11
votes
2
answers
444
views
The intersection of a circle and a rank 3 subgroup of the plane
Let $A$ be a rank 3 subgroup of the Euclidean plane, i.e. $A = \mathbb{Z} v_1 + \mathbb{Z} v_2 + \mathbb{Z} v_3$, where $v_1, v_2, v_3 \in \mathbb{R}^2$ are three $\mathbb{Q}$-linearly independent ...
- 1,531
11
votes
0
answers
307
views
Entropy, magnitude, diversity of finite metric spaces in number theory
I was reading the article by Tom Leinster, (Maximizing
diversity in biology and beyond, arXiv link), and find it very interesting.
Since I was searching for entropies of finite metric spaces I found
...
user6671
10
votes
1
answer
648
views
Does every positive-definite integral lattice admit an angle-preserving homomorphism into $\Bbb Z^n$ for some $n$?
Some initial clarifications
By lattice I mean an additive subgroup of $\mathbb R^n$ which is isomorphic to $\mathbb Z^n$ and has full rank (i.e. spans $\Bbb R^n$ when considered as set of vectors). A ...
- 13.6k
10
votes
3
answers
683
views
Circles avoiding rational points of height $\le h$
Q. Which origin-centered circles $C(r)$ (or spheres in dimension $d$)
of radius $r < 1$ avoid all rational points
of height $\le h$?
A rational point is a point all of whose coordinates are ...
- 151k
9
votes
2
answers
928
views
Shortest irrational path
What is the shortest curve $\gamma$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$
from the origin $o=(0,0)$ to a rational point $p=(a,b)$
that (a) passes through no other rational point, and
(b) contains no point a ...
- 151k
9
votes
2
answers
449
views
Rational points on circular spirals
Is it the case that every unit-radius circular spiral,
$$x = \cos(t)$$
$$y = \sin(t)$$
$$z = c \cdot t$$
for $c \in \mathbb{R}^+$
is dense in rational-coordinate points
(i.e., all three coordinates ...
- 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
204
views
Which unimodular lattices $L\subset \mathbb R^2$ minimize $f_t(L):=\sum_{ v\in L} e^{-t \|v\|_2}$? (for parameters $t>0$)
$\DeclareMathOperator\SL{SL}\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$Consider the lattices in $\SL(2,\mathbb R)(\mathbb Z^2)$ up to rotation. The space of such lattices can be identified with the modular surface $\...
- 241
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
votes
0
answers
365
views
How to count integer lattice points close to a subspace of $\mathbb R^n$?
Consider $m$ linearly independent vectors in $n$-dimensional Euclidean space, $v_1,...,v_m \in \mathbb R^n$ where $1\leq m<n$, and let $U := {\rm span}(v_1,...,v_m)$ denote the $m$-dimensional ...
- 686
8
votes
1
answer
362
views
Is the set of powerful numbers piecewise syndetic?
Recall that a subset $A \subset \mathbb Z_+$ of positive integers syndetic if there exists a $d>0$ such that every positive integer has distance at most $d$ to an element of $A$. It is called ...
- 11.9k
8
votes
1
answer
280
views
Hyperbolic planes inside hyperbolic 3-space quotients
Let $\mathcal{H}_2 = \{(x,t) \in \mathbf{R}^2: t > 0\}$ be the upper half-plane, and let $\mathcal{H}_3$ be the hyperbolic 3-space $\{(x,t) \in \mathbf{C} \times \mathbf{R}: t > 0\}$. Clearly $\...
- 37k
8
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Sequences of evenly-distributed points in a product of intervals
Let φ be the golden ratio, (1+√5)/2. Taking the fractional parts of its integer multiples, we obtain a sequence of values in (0,1) which are in some sense "evenly distributed" in a way which ...
- 3,612
8
votes
1
answer
417
views
Orthonormal bases of R^3 with components lying in the golden field
Greg Egan proved an interesting theorem about unit vectors in $\mathbb{R}^3$ whose components actually lie in the 'golden field' $\mathbb{Q}[\sqrt{5}]$. He found it in our studies of twin dodecahedra:...
- 22.3k
8
votes
2
answers
803
views
a Littlewood–Offord-type problem concerning the "cubical lattice"
Fix even $n$ and consider the boolean function $f : \{0, 1\}^n \rightarrow \{0, 1\}$, $f : (x_0, \ldots , x_{n - 1}) \mapsto (x_0 \vee x_1) \wedge (x_2 \vee x_3) \wedge \cdots \wedge (x_{n - 2} \vee ...
- 63
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Lattice points on the boundary of an ellipse
How many points of the integer lattice ${\mathbb Z}^2$ can an axis-parallel ellipse of radius $r$ contain on its boundary? (that is, we consider ${\mathbb Z}^2$ as lying in ${\mathbb R}^2$). ...
- 1,072
7
votes
2
answers
244
views
approximate two different real numbers to order $\frac{1}{z^{3/2}}$
I took this result from Minkowski's book on Geometry of numbers:
Two arbitrary real quantitites $a$ and $b$ may be made to approach as near as we wish in value the two fractions $\frac{x}{z}$ and $\...
- 22.8k
7
votes
3
answers
510
views
Proto-Euclidean algorithm
Consider the Euclidean algorithm (EA) as a way to measure the relative length $b/a$ of a shorter stick $b$ compared to a longer one $a$ by recursively determining
$$q_i = \left\lfloor \frac{r_i}{r_{...
- 9,720
7
votes
1
answer
642
views
volume over a hypercube, over simplex: twist by Euler numbers
Let $\square_n=\{(x_1,\dots,x_n): 0\leq x_i\leq1,\, \forall i\}$ be an $n$-dimensional unit hypercube, and let $\Delta_n=\{(u_1,\dots,u_n):u_1+\cdots+u_n\leq\frac{\pi}2,\, u_i\geq0,\, \forall i\}$ be $...
- 43.2k
7
votes
2
answers
726
views
Zeta function for curves in a manifold
Motivation
In the analogy between prime numbers and knots, the prime number is thought sometimes as the circle of length $l([p]) = \text{log}\,p$. This is so you can express the zeta function as
$$ \...
- 15.1k
7
votes
1
answer
497
views
Is there a bicyclic irregular pentagon in integers?
Is there a bicyclic irregular pentagon in integers, i.e. is there a pentagon, the length of each side is integer and unique such that it has a circumcircle and an inner circle as well?
If it does ...
- 71
7
votes
0
answers
165
views
Lonely globe trotters
In analogy with the lonely runners conjecture,
imagine "globe trotters" each traveling on a longitudinal great circle at different
(constant, positive) speeds. Each "trotter" ...
- 151k
7
votes
0
answers
346
views
The space of $p$-adic norms
The 1963 paper by Goldman and Iwahori The space of $p$-adic norms deals with the space of norms on a finite dimensional vector space $E$ over a locally compact complete discrete valuation field $K$. I ...
- 433
6
votes
2
answers
544
views
On circles and ellipses drawn on an infinite planar square lattice
Consider a plane with a square lattice formed by all points with both coordinates as integers. As can be easily seen, a simple parabola can be found that passes through infinitely many of the square ...
- 5,979
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Consecutive Integer Squared Square
Is it possible to construct a squared square out of consecutive integer squares?
Be it 1,2,3,...n or k,k+1,k+2,...n.
- 61
6
votes
2
answers
473
views
rate of equidistribution of the horocycle flow for $SL(2, \mathbb{Z})$
I know that for any Fuchsian group $\Gamma$, there is a spectral gap, which leads to
$$ \left| \int_0^1 F(x + iy) \, dx - \int_{\Gamma \backslash \mathbb{H}} F \, \frac{dx \, dy}{y^2} \right| < ...
- 22.8k
6
votes
2
answers
249
views
Intersecting Sets of Pythagorean Triples with Common Hypotenuses
For any $r\in\mathbb{N}$, let $A_r$ denote the set of all natural numbers that are potentially a side of a Pythagorean triple with hypotenuse $r$.
Given any $N\in\mathbb{N}$, does there exist $r,s$ ...
- 93
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Motivation for Hirzebruch-Jung Modified Euclidean Algorithm
Let $a,b \in \mathbb{N} \ \ s.t. \ \ a > b$ have $\gcd(a,b) =1$. We can define the Hirzebruch-Jung modified euclidean algorithm as follows:
Let $e_i \in \mathbb{N} >2$, and $ r_k \in \mathbb{N}$...
6
votes
2
answers
381
views
Lattice-cube minimal blocking sets
Let $C_d(n)$ be the lattice cube consisting of the $n^d$ points with
each of its $d$ coorindates in $\lbrace 1,2,\ldots,n \rbrace$.
Define a blocking set for a lattice cube to be a set of points
in ...
- 151k
6
votes
1
answer
237
views
Current interest in geometric properties of Hilbert fundamental domains
Harvey Cohn published several articles in the 1960's analyzing geometric properties of fundamental domains for Hilbert modular surfaces.
H. Cohn, "On the shape of the fundamental domain of the ...
- 2,436
6
votes
0
answers
176
views
Approximating a ray with an integer lattice point
Take $X$ uniform on the unit sphere in $\mathbb{R}^n.$ For $r>0$, take $S_r=\{x\in \mathbb{Z}^n: \sum_i x_i^2 \leq r^2\}.$
With $\|\cdot \|$ the 2-norm, what is the distribution (or at least the ...
