Questions tagged [mg.metric-geometry]
Euclidean, hyperbolic, discrete, convex, coarse geometry, metric spaces, comparisons in Riemannian geometry, symmetric spaces.
4,405 questions
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Reorienting a ladder among $\mathbb{Z}^2$ poles
Imagine an object, which I'll call a ladder $\cal{L}$, a "racetrack" shape
composed of a rectangle of length $L$ capped at either end by
semicircles of radius $r$; so it is $L+2r$ tip-to-tip.
View ...
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Fitting a mesh to a density function
Suppose I have a probability density function defined on a region in the plane (in my case, the pdf is of the form $f(x) = \alpha\|x\|^{-\beta}$, and the region is the unit disk). For large $N$, is ...
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Do elongated convex objects all have long simple geodesics?
Let $S$ be a closed convex surface, the boundary of a compact
convex body in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
I am interested in whether there are conditions on its shape
that ensure that it supports a long, simple (...
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Canonical geometric examples
The proofs without words post has some great entries. I'm interested in a similar concept: examples where a problem in math or physics is accompanied by a geometric figure that illuminates some key ...
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Packing twelve spherical caps to maximize tangencies
Suppose that $v_i$, for $i \in \{1, 2, \ldots 11, 12\}$, are twelve unit length vectors
based at the origin in $R^3$. Suppose that $|v_i - v_j| \geq 1$ for all $i
\neq j$. What arrangement of the $...
- 28.2k
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what was Hilbert's geometric construction in his 17th problem?
Hilbert's 17th problem asked if a nonnegative real polynomial is the sum of squares of rational functions. It was answered affirmative by Artin in around 1920. However, in his speech, he also asked if ...
user2529
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Odds on rolling a rhombicosidodecahedron
This is more of a curiosity to me, but I'm sure I don't have the mathematical skills to answer it. That said... I took a look at several other posts with questions that relate to this one, but I ...
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Parabolic subgroups of relatively hyperbolic and CAT(0) groups
Let $G$ be a finitely generated group. We say that $G$ is CAT(0) if it acts properly and co-compactly by isometries on a CAT(0) space.
We say it is hyperbolic relative to a collection $\Omega$ of ...
- 2,090
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maximum sum of angles between $n$ lines
Take $n$ lines in $\mathbb{R}^d$ (not necessary different, and all passing through the origin, though this is not important). What is maximal possible sum of angles between them for given $n$ and $d$? ...
- 109k
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Metrically singular Alexandrov space.
Perelman's stability theorem shows in particular that a finite dimensional compact Alexandrov space $(X,d)$ such that $X$ is not a topological manifold cannot be approximated in the Gromov-Hausdorf ...
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What spaces have well known horofunctions?
Following Gromov, take a metric space $(X,d)$ and consider $C(X)/\mathbb{R}$ the set of continuous functions to $\mathbb{R}$ with the topology of uniform convergence on compact sets after taking the ...
- 4,304
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Dissection proof of Heron's formula?
In his recent book, Love Triangle, Matt Parker playfully complains that Heron's formula is an "opaque formula, and I feel like you just chuck in the side-lengths, turn a series of arbitrary ...
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Intersections and curvature in the plane
Let $D$ be a nonempty compact convex plane region whose boundary is a smooth curve whose radius of curvature is at most 1 everywhere. Can the boundary of $D$ intersect a circle of radius 1 in more ...
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Tangled random triangles: One giant component?
Suppose you have $n$ triangles whose corners are random points on a sphere $S$
in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Viewing the triangles as built from rigid bars as edges,
two triangles are linked if they cannot be ...
- 151k
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Hausdorff convergence of submanifolds in Riemannian manifolds
Let $(M^n,g)$ be a smooth compact Riemannian manifold. It is well known that any sequence $\{X_i\}$ of compact subsets of $M$ has a subsequence which converges in the Hausdorff metric to a compact ...
- 21.8k
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Is every metric space quasi-isometric to a graph?
I've proved that if $(X, d)$ is a geodesic metric space then there exists a graph which is quasi-isometric to $X$...during this proof I've precisely used the fact that given two point in $X$ there ...
- 3,751
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Alexandrov angles in Riemannian manifolds
Dear all, I am teaching a course in Riemannian geometry, and I would like to prove some comparison theorems in the next lessons, building on the well-known theory of Jacobi fields, and of Rauch ...
- 3,749
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Equations for an algebraic gömböc
A gömböc is a $3$-dimensional convex body (having uniform density) which has exactly one stable and one instable equilbrium position (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c).
Such a convex ...
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An incomplete characterisation of the Euclidean line?
We say that a metric space $(X, d)$ is a Banakh space if for every $\rho \in \mathbb{R}_{> 0}$ and every $x \in X$, there are
$a,b \in X$ such that $\{y \in X \, \vert \, d(x, y) = \rho\} = \{a, b\}...
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Is there an inscribed cube for an arbitrary compact closed surface?
Given a compact closed surface $M$ (2-dim topological manifold) isometrically embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$, are there 8 points $x_i\in M(i=1,\dots,8)$ such that they are the vertices of a cube $C\subset\...
user178596
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Isoperimetric inequality via Crofton's formula
I have seen various assertions that one can derive the isoperimetric inequality in the plane from Crofton's formula in geometric probability. Unfortunately, I have not managed to figure out such a ...
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Continuity of length and area
Let $C_n$ be a sequence of rectifiable simple closed curves in $\mathbb{R}^2$ that converge to a rectifiable simple closed curve $D$ in the Hausdorff topology. It is easy to construct examples where
...
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A strange question about closed geodesics on a closed manifold
I'm studying a particular kind of curve evolution on Riemannian manifolds. It would help me
to know the answer to the following kinda weird question:
Does there exist a closed Riemannian manifold $M$ ...
- 545
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640
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Ordered geometries from convex subsets of the plane
Motivation
In the Klein disk model of the hyperbolic plane, the points are the interior of the disk, and the lines in $H^2$ correspond to lines intersecting the interior.
Similarly, the Euclidean ...
- 28k
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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
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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 ...
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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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Alexandrov spaces which are not limits of Riemannian manifolds
Are there important/ interesting/ natural examples of compact Alexandrov spaces with curvature bounded from below which are not Gromov-Hausdorff limits of smooth compact Riemannian manifolds with ...
- 21.8k
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A forked plane continuum
I came up with this question while trying to solve the following MO one:
Does every connected set that is not a line segment cross some dyadic square?
Suppose $C$ is a plane continuum (i.e. a ...
- 1,375
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Can Tarski decide constructibility in elementary geometry?
Can the decision routine for Tarski's Elementary geometry be extended to decide when an existence claim in that theory can be instantiated by a compass and straightedge construction?
The answer does ...
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Packing regular tetrahedra of edge length 1 with a vertex at the origin in a unit sphere
Consider the following problem:
How many regular tetrahedra of edge length 1 can be packed inside a unit sphere with each one has a vertex located at the origin?
The answer is at least 20, forming ...
- 243
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Minimum separation among $m$ random points on an $n$-dimensional unit sphere
Consider $m$ points $v_1, \ldots, v_m \in R^{n}$, which are uniformly distributed on the $n$-dimensional unit sphere $S^{n-1} = \{v:\|v\|_2 = 1\}$. Let the minimum separation be
$$
\rho = \min_{i,j\in{...
- 1,127
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Generalization of Stewart's theorem?
I'm curious about the generalization of Stewart's theorem to more dimensions. MathWorld mentions that there is a generalization done by Bottema, but I could not find much information on it. All I ...
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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
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Length inequalities in trees and CAT(0) spaces
I have a family of possibly related questions. Let me start with an elementary one:
Question 1. Fix an integer $n$. For which collections of real numbers $a_{ij}$, $i, j = 1, \dots, n$, is it true ...
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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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Is the group of translations of an affine plane always commutative?
$\DeclareMathOperator\Dil{Dil}\DeclareMathOperator\Trans{Trans}\DeclareMathOperator\Col{Col}$An affine plane is a set of points $X$ endowed with a family $\mathcal L$ of subsets of $X$, called lines, ...
- 42k
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Is every metric continuum almost path-connected?
The question was motivated by this question of Anton Petrunin.
By a metric continuum we understand a connected compact metric space.
Let $p$ be a positive real number. A metric continuum $X$ is ...
- 42k
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698
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Bi-Lipschitz extension
Given a bi-Lipschitz homeomorphism
$\Phi:\mathbb{B}^n(0,1)\to\mathbb{R}^n$, (that is a bi-Lipschitz map onto the image), can one find a bi-Lipschitz homeomorphism $\Psi:\mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}^n$ ...
- 28k
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How can a Roomba turn as little as possible?
Suppose I have a convex polygon $C$ and a radius $r>0$, and I seek a path $P$ that "covers" $C$, in the sense that any point $C$ is within distance $r$ of $P$: $$d(x,P)\leq r~\forall x\in C~,$$
...
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Rule for Finding Largest Possible Perimeter
Some months ago I was given a high-school level maths question that made me wonder if there was a definitive principle for finding the shape of largest perimeter given a set of dots. The question was ...
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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
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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
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710
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Axiom of choice and a set in the plane that intersects every line in two points
In this question Subset of the plane that intersects every line exactly twice someone ask for a reference of a paper where they proof the result : ''There exist a subset of the plane that intersects ...
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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
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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