Alternative proof of sine's theorem on the size of a regular polygon in R n with the ℓ∞-metric

It is shown that a regular polygon inR ⁿ with the (2n) ⁿ -metric has at most (2n) ⁿ vertices.     

On cardinalities of row spaces of Boolean matrices

We prove that there are exactlyn numbers greater than 2 ⁿ⁻¹ that can serve as the cardinalities of row spaces ofn×n Boolean matrices. The numbers are: 2 ⁿ⁻¹+1,2 ⁿ⁻¹+2,2 ⁿ⁻¹+4, ..., 2 ⁿ⁻¹+2 ⁿ⁻², 2 ⁿ . Two consequences follow. The first is that the height of the partial order ofD-classes in the semigroup ofn×n Boolean matrices is at most 2 ⁿ⁻¹+n−1. The second is that the numbers listed above are precisely the numbers greater than 2 ⁿ⁻¹ that can serve as the cardinalities of topologies on a finite setX withn elements.     

Existence and stability of nontrivial periodic solutions of periodically forced discrete dynamical Systems

The local existence and local asymptotic stability of nontrivial p-periodic solutions of p-periodically forced discrete systems are proven using Liapunov-Schmidt methods. The periodic solutions bifurcate transcritically from the trivial solution at the critical value n=n^cr of the bifurcation parameter with a typical exchange of stability. If the trivial solution loses (gains) stability as n is increased through n^cr , then the periodic solutions on the nontrivial bifurcating branch are locally asymptotically stable if and only if they correspond to n>n^cr (n n^cr ).     

Bounds on the number of maximal sum-free sets

We show that the number of maximal sum-free subsets of {1,2,…,n} is at most 2^3n/8+o(n). We also show that 2^0.406n+o(n) is an upper bound on the number of maximal product-free subsets of any group of order n.     

Volume approximation of smooth convex bodies by three-polytopes of restricted number of edges

For a given convex body K in \Bbb R³{\Bbb R}^3 with C ² boundary, let P ^c _n be the circumscribed polytope of minimal volume with at most n edges, and let P ⁱ _n be the inscribed polytope of maximal volume with at most n edges. Besides presenting an asymptotic formula for the volume difference as n tends to infinity in both cases, we prove that the typical faces of P ^c _n and P ⁱ _n are asymptotically regular triangles and squares, respectively, in a suitable sense.     

Rate of convergence of the mean curvature flow

We study the flow M_t of a smooth, strictly convex hypersurface by its mean curvature in ?^{n + 1}. The surface remains smooth and convex, shrinking monotonically until it disappears at a critical time T and point x^* (which is due to Huisken). This is equivalent to saying that the corresponding rescaled mean curvature flow converges to a sphere Sⁿ of radius √n. In this paper we will study the rate of exponential convergence of a rescaled flow. We will present here a method that tells us that the rate of the exponential decay is at least 2/n. We can define the “arrival time” u of a smooth, strictly convex, n‐dimensional hypersurface as it moves with normal velocity equal to its mean curvature via u(x) = t if x ∈ M_t for x ∈ Int(M₀). Huisken proved that, for n ≥ 2, u(x) is C² near x^*. The case n = 1 has been treated by Kohn and Serfaty [11]; they proved C³‐regularity of u. As a consequence of the obtained rate of convergence of the mean curvature flow, we prove that u is not necessarily C³ near x^* for n ≥ 2. We also show that the obtained rate of convergence 2/n, which arises from linearizing a mean curvature flow, is the optimal one, at least for n ≥ 2. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Planar Graphs, via Well-Orderly Maps and Trees

The family of well-orderly maps is a family of planar maps with the property that every connected planar graph has at least one plane embedding which is a well-orderly map. We show that the number of well-orderly maps with n nodes is at most 2^αn+O(logn), where α≈4.91. A direct consequence of this is a new upper bound on the number p(n) of unlabeled planar graphs with n nodes, log₂p(n)≤4.91n. The result is then used to show that asymptotically almost all (labeled or unlabeled), (connected or not) planar graphs with n nodes have between 1.85n and 2.44n edges. Finally we obtain as an outcome of our combinatorial analysis an explicit linear-time encoding algorithm for unlabeled planar graphs using, in the worst-case, a rate of 4.91 bits per node and of 2.82 bits per edge.     

Diameter of a direct power of a finite group

We present two conjectures concerning the diameter of a direct power of a finite group. The first conjecture states that the diameter of Gⁿ with respect to each generating set is at most n(|G|?rank(G)); and the second one states that there exists a generating set 𝒜, of minimum size, for Gⁿ such that the diameter of Gⁿ with respect to 𝒜 is at most n(|G|?rank(G)). We will establish evidence for each of the above mentioned conjectures.     

The scaling window of the 2‐SAT transition

We consider the random 2‐satisfiability (2‐SAT) problem, in which each instance is a formula that is the conjunction of m clauses of the form x∨y, chosen uniformly at random from among all 2‐clauses on n Boolean variables and their negations. As m and n tend to infinity in the ratio m/n→α, the problem is known to have a phase transition at α_c=1, below which the probability that the formula is satisfiable tends to one and above which it tends to zero. We determine the finite‐size scaling about this transition, namely the scaling of the maximal window W(n, δ)=(α_?(n,δ), α₊(n,δ)) such that the probability of satisfiability is greater than 1?δ for α<α_? and is less than δ for α>α₊. We show that W(n,δ)=(1?Θ(n^?1/3), 1+Θ(n^?1/3)), where the constants implicit in Θ depend on δ. We also determine the rates at which the probability of satisfiability approaches one and zero at the boundaries of the window. Namely, for m=(1+ε)n, where ε may depend on n as long as |ε| is sufficiently small and |ε|n^1/3 is sufficiently large, we show that the probability of satisfiability decays like exp(?Θ(nε³)) above the window, and goes to one like 1?Θ(n^?1|ε|^?3 below the window. We prove these results by defining an order parameter for the transition and establishing its scaling behavior in n both inside and outside the window. Using this order parameter, we prove that the 2‐SAT phase transition is continuous with an order parameter critical exponent of 1. We also determine the values of two other critical exponents, showing that the exponents of 2‐SAT are identical to those of the random graph. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 18: 201–256 2001     

A completion problem for finite affine planes

A partial affine plane (PAP) of ordern is ann ²-setS of points together with a collection ofn-subsets ofS called lines such that any two lines meet in at most one point. We obtain conditions under which a PAP with nearlyn ²+n lines can be completed to an affine plane by adding lines. In particular, we make use of Bruck’s completion condition for nets to show that certain PAP’s with at leastn ²+n−√n can be completed and that forn≠3 any PAP withn ²+n−2 lines can be completed.     

A lower bound for the number of triangular embeddings of some complete graphs and complete regular tripartite graphs

We prove that, for a certain positive constant a and for an infinite set of values of n, the number of nonisomorphic triangular embeddings of the complete graph K_n is at least n^an2. A similar lower bound is also given, for an infinite set of values of n, on the number of nonisomorphic triangular embeddings of the complete regular tripartite graph K_n,n,n.     

Exact convergence rate of bootstrap quantile variance estimator

Summary It is shown that the relative error of the bootstrap quantile variance estimator is of precise order n ^-1/4, when n denotes sample size. Likewise, the error of the bootstrap sparsity function estimator is of precise order n ^-1/4. Therefore as point estimators these estimators converge more slowly than the Bloch-Gastwirth estimator and kernel estimators, which typically have smaller error of order at most n ^-2/5.     

Small quasimultiple affine and projective planes: Some improved bounds

We improve the known bounds on r(n): = min {λ| an (n², n, λ)-RBIBD exists} in the case where n + 1 is a prime power. In such a case r(n) is proved to be at most n + 1. If, in addition, n − 1 is the product of twin prime powers, then r(n) ${\ \le \ }{n \over 2}$. We also improve the known bounds on p(n): = min{λ| an (n² + n + 1, n + 1, λ)-BIBD exists} in the case where n² + n + 1 is a prime power. In such a case p(n) is bounded at worst by but better bounds could be obtained exploiting the multiplicative structure of GF(n² + n + 1). Finally, we present an unpublished construction by M. Greig giving a quasidouble affine plane of order n for every positive integer n such that n − 1 and n + 1 are prime powers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 6: 337–345, 1998     

Minimum permanents of doubly stochastic matrices with at least one zero entry †

It is shown that the minimum value of the permanent on the n× ndoubly stochastic matrices which contain at least one zero entry is achieved at those matrices nearest to J_n in Euclidean norm, where J_n is the n× nmatrix each of whose entries is n^-1 . In case n ≠ 3 the minimum permanent is achieved only at those matrices nearest J_n ; for n= 3 it is achieved at other matrices containing one or more zero entries as well.     

The maximum number of Hamiltonian paths in tournaments

Solving an old conjecture of Szele we show that the maximum number of directed Hamiltonian paths in a tournament onn vertices is at mostc · n ^3/2 · n!/2 ^n–1, wherec is a positive constant independent ofn.Research supported in part by a U.S.A.-Israel BSF grant and by a Bergmann Memorial Grant.     

On visibility and covering by convex sets

A setX⊆ℝ ^d isn-convex if among anyn of its points there exist two such that the segment connecting them is contained inX. Perles and Shelah have shown that any closed (n+1)-convex set in the plane is the union of at mostn ⁶ convex sets. We improve their bound to 18n ³, and show a lower bound of order Ω(n ²). We also show that ifX⊆ℝ² is ann-convex set such that its complement has λ one-point path-connectivity components, λ<∞, thenX is the union ofO(n ⁴+n ²λ) convex sets. Two other results onn-convex sets are stated in the introduction (Corollary 1.2 and Proposition 1.4). Research supported by Charles University grants GAUK 99/158 and 99/159, and by U.S.-Czechoslovak Science and Technology Program Grant No. 94051. Part of the work by J. Matoušek was done during the author’s visits at Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Part of the work by P. Valtr was done during his visit at the University of Cambridge supported by EC Network DIMANET/PECO Contract No. ERBCIPDCT 94-0623.     

An extremal property of Hermite polynomials

Let H_n be the nth Hermite polynomial, i.e., the nth orthogonal on polynomial with respect to the weight w(x)=exp(−x²). We prove the following: If f is an arbitrary polynomial of degree at most n, such that |f||H_n| at the zeros of H_n+1, then for k=1,…,n we have f^(k)H_n^(k), where · is the norm. This result can be viewed as an inequality of the Duffin and Schaeffer type. As corollaries, we obtain a Markov-type inequality in the norm, and estimates for the expansion coefficients in the basis of Hermite polynomials.     

Long Monochromatic Berge Cycles in Colored 4-Uniform Hypergraphs

Here we prove that for n ≥ 140, in every 3-coloring of the edges of K_n⁽⁴⁾{K_n^{(4)}} there is a monochromatic Berge cycle of length at least n − 10. This result sharpens an asymptotic result obtained earlier. Another result is that for n ≥ 15, in every 2-coloring of the edges of K_n⁽⁴⁾{K_n^{(4)}} there is a 3-tight Berge cycle of length at least n − 10.     

A tight upper bound on the cover time for random walks on graphs

We prove that the expected time for a random walk to visit all n vertices of a connected graph is at most 4/27n³ + o(n³).     

Existence of 2 n Solutions of a System of n Nonlinear Equations in n Unknowns

It is demonstrated that, under certain conditions, a system of n nonlinear equations with n unknowns has at least 2 ⁿ solutions. Bibliography: 2 titles.