The lower bound of the number of non-overlapping triangles

András Bezdek proved that if a convexn-gon andn points are given, then the points and the sides of the polygon can be renumbered so that at least [n/3] triangles spanned by theith point and theith side (i=1,2,…n) are mutually non-overlapping. In this paper, we show that at least [n/2] mutually non-overlapping triangles can be constructed. This lower bound is best possible.     

Short cycles of Poncelet’s conics

Main results of this paper are the following:1. A closed N-gon interscribed between two conics exists if and only if a specially constructed polygon with a smaller number of sides (n) is closed. To verify the closure of this n-gon, we need to find a periodic solution of a dynamical system of order n. The proof is based on the connection of Poncelet’s curves and matrices that admit unitary bordering [4,9,10,16]. Application of this criterion makes sense when n?N, in particular when n≈log₂N (see Table 4 where n=m₁). So for example we may say that a polygon with 2049 sides interscribed between two circles is closed if and only if some specially constructed 11-gon is closed.2. A closed N-gon interscribed between two confocal ellipses (the billiard case) exists if and only if an N-gon interscribed between two special nested circles is closed.     

Covering a Convex Polygon by Triangles

According to a theorem of A. V. Bogomolnaya, F. L. Nazarov and S. E. Rukshin, if n points are given inside a convex n-gon, then the points and the sides of the polygon can be numbered from 1 to n so that the triangles spanned by the ith point and the ith side(i=1....,n ) cover the polygon. In this paper, we prove that the same can be done without assuming that the given points are inside the convex n-gon. We also show that in the general case at least [(n/3)] mutually nonoverlapping triangles can be constructed in the same manner.     

Inscribing a regular m-gon in a regular n-gon

We find necessary and sufficient conditions on m and n for inscribing a regular m-gon in a regular n-gon.     

Axiomatizations of Euclidean geometry in terms of points,equilateral triangles or squares, and incidence

Dimension-free Euclidean geometry over Euclidean ordered fields can be axiomatized in a two-sortedfirst-order language, with points and regular n-gons (with n = 3 or 4) as variables, and with a binary predicate standing for the incidence of a point and a regular n-gon as the only primitive notions.     

On a problem of Croft on optimally nested regular polygons

We present a solution for the largest regular m-gon contained in a regular n-gon. We find that the answer depends critically on the coprimality of m and n. We show that the optimal polygons are concentric if and only if gcd(m, n) > 1. Our principal result is a complete solution for the case where m and n share a common divisor. For the case of coprime m and n, we present partial results and a conjecture for the general solution. Our findings subsume some special cases which have previously been published on this problem.     

Angle orders,regular n-gon orders and the crossing number

A finite poset P(X,<) on a set X={ x ₁,...,x _m} is an angle order (regular n-gon order) if the elements of P(X,<) can be mapped into a family of angular regions on the plane (a family of regular polygons with n sides and having parallel sides) such that x _ij if and only if the angular region (regular n-gon) for x _i is contained in the region (regular n-gon) for x _j. In this paper we prove that there are partial orders of dimension 6 with 64 elements which are not angle orders. The smallest partial order previously known not to be an angle order has 198 elements and has dimension 7. We also prove that partial orders of dimension 3 are representable using equilateral triangles with the same orientation. This results does not generalizes to higher dimensions. We will prove that there is a partial order of dimension 4 with 14 elements which is not a regular n-gon order regardless of the value of n. Finally, we prove that partial orders of dimension 3 are regular n-gon orders for n3.This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, grant numbers A0977 and A2415.     

On a Class of Central Configurations in the Planar $${\varvec{}}$$-Body Problem

The existence of a central configuration of 2n bodies located on two concentric regular n-gons with the polygons which are homotetic or similar with an angle equal to \(\frac{\pi }{n}\) and the masses on the same polygon, are equal, has proved by Elmabsout (C R Acad Sci 312(5):467–472, 1991). Moreover, the existence of a planar central configuration which consists of 3n bodies, also situated on two regular polygons, the interior n-gon with equal masses and the exterior 2n-gon with masses on the 2n-gon alternating, has shown by author. Following Smale (Invent Math 11:45-64, 1970), we reduce this problem to one, concerning the critical points of some effective-type potential. Using computer assisted methods of proof we show the existence of ten classes of such critical points which corresponds to ten classes of central configurations in the planar six-body problem.     

Optimally nested regularN-gons

Various sequences of polygons are described and the radii are determined when each successive member of the sequence is the largest next member of the sequence containing its predecessor, or else the smallest next member of the sequence containing its predecessor. In particular, a correct solution of the problem of finding the area of the circle that is the limit of the largest regularn-gon fitting inside a regular (n?1)-gon, starting from an equilateral triangle of unit area, is found to be 0.0753105.     

Diameter graphs of polygons and the proof of a conjecture of Graham

We show that for an n-gon with unit diameter to have maximum area, its diameter graph must contain a cycle, and we derive an isodiametric theorem for such n-gons in terms of the length of the cycle. We then apply this theorem to prove Graham's 1975 conjecture that the diameter graph of a maximal 2m-gon (m?3) must be a cycle of length 2m−1 with one additional edge attached to it.     

Cyclic Product Theorems for Polygons (I) Constructions using Circles

If a point U _i is chosen on each edge of a plane n -gon P , then the product of the n signed ratios in which the points U _i divide the edges is called a cyclic product for P . The basic problem is to find geometrical constructions such that, for every n -gon P , the corresponding cyclic products either take constant values or satisfy simple relations. Many straight-line constructions are known. Here we describe some constructions which also involve circles. Received December 1, 1998, and in revised form April 4, 1999. Online publication May 16, 2000.     

Inscribing Smooth Knots with Regular Polygons

A regular n-gon inscribing a knot is a sequence of n pointson a knot, such that the distances between adjacent points areall the same. It is shown that any smooth knot is inscribedby a regular n-gon for any n. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification57M25 (primary).     

Soap films spanning rectangular prisms

In this paper, we consider soap films spanning rectangular prisms with regular n-gon bases. As the number of edges n varies, we show that there are significant changes in the qualitative properties of the spanning soap films as well as a change in the number of spanning soap films whose existence we can prove: We can find two nontrivial soap films for n = 3, 4, 5 but only one for n ≥ 6. We also prove some results concerning the interval of aspect ratios through which the soap films exist: The interval is finite if n = 3, 4, 5 and infinite if n ≥ 6. Furthermore, for n > 6, we have that the spanning soap film converges to a soap film spanning the vertical lines through the vertices of a regular n-gon as the aspect ratio goes to infinity. We can also make sense of the case n = ∞. Here, we discover some interesting singly and triply periodic soap films spanning singly and doubly periodic sets of vertical lines or spanning singly periodic sets of vertical line segments connected by pairs of parallel, horizontal lines. Finally, for n = 3, 4, 5, 6, we can derive parameterizations for the spanning soap films, and these parameterizations are explicit up to knowing the aspect ratio.      

Cyclic Product Theorems for Polygons (II) Constructions using Conic Sections

If a point U _i is chosen on each edge of a plane n -gon P , then the product of the n signed ratios in which the points U _i divide the edges of P is called a cyclic product for P . The problem is to find geometric constructions for the U _i such that, for every n -gon P , the cyclic product takes a fixed value. Many constructions are known which use lines or circles. Here we describe constructions that use conic sections. Received August 23, 2000, and in revised form November 27, 2000. Online publication May 4, 2001.     

Optimal Angle Bounds for Quadrilateral Meshes

We show that any simple planar n-gon can be meshed in linear time by O(n) quadrilaterals with all new angles bounded between 60 and 120 degrees.     

On the perimeters of simple polygons contained in a disk

A simple n-gon is a polygon with n edges with each vertex belonging to exactly two edges and every other point belonging to at most one edge. Brass et?al. (Research Problems in Discrete Geometry, 2005) asked the following question: For n ???5 odd, what is the maximum perimeter of a simple n-gon contained in a Euclidean unit disk? In 2009, Audet et?al. (Discrete Comput Geom 41:208?C215) answered this question, and showed that the optimal configuration is an isosceles triangle with a multiple edge, inscribed in the disk. In this note we give a shorter and simpler proof of their result, which we generalize also for hyperbolic disks, and for spherical disks of sufficiently small radii.     

Minimal Convex k-Gons Containing a Given Convex Polygon

There is a k-gon of minimal area containing a given convex n-gon (k<n) such that k-1 sides of the n-gon lie on the sides of the k-gon. All midpoints of the sides of the k-gon belong to the n-gon. Bibliography: 3 titles.     

Scheduling CCRR tournaments

In this paper, we construct CCRRS, complete coupling round robin schedules, for n teams each consisting of two pairs. The motivation for these schedules is a problem in scheduling bridge tournaments. We construct CCRRS(n) for n a positive integer, n?3, with the possible exceptions of n∈{54,62}. For n odd, we show that a CCRRS(n) can be constructed using a house with a special property. For n even, a CCRRS(n) can be constructed from a Howell design, H(2n-2,2n), with a special property called Property P. We use a combination of direct and recursive constructions to construct H(2n-2,2n) with Property P. In order to apply our main recursive construction, we need group divisible designs with odd group sizes and odd block sizes. One of our main results is the existence of these group divisible designs.     

On the n-body problem on surfaces of revolution

We explore the n-body problem, $n\ge 3$, on a surface of revolution with a general interaction depending on the pairwise geodesic distance. Using the geometric methods of classical mechanics we determine a large set of properties. In particular, we show that Saari's conjecture fails on surfaces of revolution admitting a geodesic circle. We define homographic motions and, using the discrete symmetries, prove that when the masses are equal, they form an invariant manifold. On this manifold the dynamics are reducible to a one-degree of freedom system. We also find that for attractive interactions, regular n-gon shaped relative equilibria with trajectories located on geodesic circles typically experience a pitchfork bifurcation. Some applications are included.     

Minimal regular polygons serving as universal covers in R 2

A universal cover is a set K with the property that each set of unit diameter is a subset of a congruent copy of K. It is shown that the smallest regular n-gon, for fixed n 4, which serves as an universal cover in R ² is the smallest regular n-gon covering a Reuleaux triangle of unit width.