Constructing infinite families of regular incidence (quasi-)polytopes

Given a regular incidence (quasi-)polytopeP of type {a ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n–1} and a function on its directed edges satisfying certain conditions, we construct for everym 2 a regular incidence (quasi-)polytope of type {ma ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n–1} with the same vertex figure asP.     

The solution of graham’s greatest common divisor problem

The following conjecture of R. L. Graham is verified: Ifn≧n ₀, wheren ₀ is an explicitly computable constant, then for anyn distinct positive integersa ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n we have a _i /(a _i ,a _j ) ≧ ≧n, and equality holds only in two trivial cases. Here (a _i ,a _j ) stands for the greatest cnmmon divisor ofa _i anda _j .     

Points surrounding the origin

Suppose d > 2, n > d+1, and we have a set P of n points in d-dimensional Euclidean space. Then P contains a subset Q of d points such that for any p ∈ P, the convex hull of Q∪{p} does not contain the origin in its interior. We also show that for non-empty, finite point sets A ₁, ..., A _d+1 in ℝ ^d , if the origin is contained in the convex hull of A _i ∪ A _j for all 1≤i<j≤d+1, then there is a simplex S containing the origin such that |S∩A _i |=1 for every 1≤i≤d+1. This is a generalization of Bárány’s colored Carathéodory theorem, and in a dual version, it gives a spherical version of Lovász’ colored Helly theorem. Dedicated to Imre Bárány, Gábor Fejes Tóth, László Lovász, and Endre Makai on the occasion of their sixtieth birthdays. Supported by the Norwegian research council project number: 166618, and BK 21 Project, KAIST. Part of the research was conducted while visiting the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Supported by NSF Grant CCF-05-14079, and by grants from NSA, PSC-CUNY, the Hungarian Research Foundation OTKA, and BSF.     

A 10-point circle is associated with any general point of the ellipse. New properties of Fagnano’s point

Let H be an ellipse with semiaxes a and b (a > b). Two circles concentric with H, and with radii a − b and a + b, are described, each of them being the locus of the intersections between couples of noteworthy H-related lines (Theorems 1 and 2). Tight, as well as unexpected links among such circles and Monge’s circle are shown (Theorems 4, 5, and 6). A surprising pythagorean relationship involving segments related to the ellipse is shown (Theorem 3). A set of 10 concyclic points is associated with any general point of H (Theorem 9). New properties of Fagnano’s point are described (Theorems 10 through 13). Only elementary facts from trigonometry and analytic geometry are used.      

Unions of orthogonally convex or orthogonally starshaped polygons

LetT be a simply connected orthogonal polygon having the property that for every three points ofT, at least two of these points see each other via staircases inT. ThenT is a union of three orthogonally convex polygons. The number three is best possible.ForT a simply connected orthogonal polygon,T is a union of two orthogonally convex polygons if and only if for every sequencev ₁,...,v _n,v _n+1 =v ₁ inT, n odd, at least one consecutive pairv _i ,v _i+1 sees each other via staircase paths inT, 1 i n. An analogous result says thatT is a union of two orthogonal polygons which are starshaped via staircase paths if and only if for every odd sequence inT, at least one consecutive pair sees a common point via staircases inT.Supported in part by NSF grants DMS-8908717 and DMS-9207019.     

Intersecting sperner families and their convex hulls

Let ℱ be a family of subsets of a finite set ofn elements. The vector (f ₀, ...,f _n ) is called the profile of ℱ wheref _i denotes the number ofi-element subsets in ℱ. Take the set of profiles of all families ℱ satisfyingF ₁⊄F ₂ andF ₁∩F ₂≠0 for allF ₁,F ₂teℱ. It is proved that the extreme points of this set inR ⁿ⁺¹ have at most two non-zero components. Dedicated to Paul Erdős on his seventieth birthday     

The number of faces of balanced Cohen-Macaulay complexes and a generalized Macaulay theorem

A Cohen-Macaulay complex is said to be balanced of typea=(a ₁,a ₂, ...,a _s ) if its vertices can be colored usings colors so that every maximal face gets exactlya _i vertices of thei:th color. Forb=(b ₁,b ₂, ...,b _s ), 0≦b≦a, letf _b denote the number of faces havingb _i vertices of thei:th color. Our main result gives a characterization of thef-vectorsf=(f _b )_0≦b≦a′ or equivalently theh-vectors, which can arise in this way from balanced Cohen-Macaulay complexes. As part of the proof we establish a generalization of Macaulay’s compression theorem to colored multicomplexes. Finally, a combinatorial shifting technique for multicomplexes is used to give a new simple proof of the original Macaulay theorem and another closely related result. First and third authors partially supported by the National Science Foundation.     

Extremal hypergraph problems and convex hulls

Theprofile of a hypergraph onn vertices is (f ₀, f₁, ...,f _n) wheref _i denotes the number ofi-element edges. The extreme points of the set of profiles is determined for certain hypergraph classes. The results contain many old theorems of extremal set theory as particular cases (Sperner. Erdős—Ko—Rado, Daykin—Frankl—Green—Hilton).     

Almost poised basic hypergeometric series

Given a basic hypergeometric series with numerator parametersa ₁,a ₂, ...,a _r and denominator parametersb ₂, ...,b _r, we say it isalmost poised ifb _i, =a ₁ q ^δ,i a _i,δ_i = 0, 1 or 2, for 2 ≤i ≤r. Identities are given for almost poised series withr = 3 andr = 5 when a₁, =q ⁻²ⁿ. Partially supported by N.S.F. Grant No. DMS-8521580.     

Inclusion-exclusion inequalities

Ifμ is a positive measure, andA ₂, ...,A _n are measurable sets, the sequencesS ₀, ...,S _n andP _[0], ...,P _[n] are related by the inclusion-exclusion equalities. Inequalities among theS _i are based on the obviousP _[k]≧0. Letting =the average average measure of the intersection ofk of the setsA _i , it is shown that (−1) ^k Δ ^k M _i ≧0 fori+k≦n. The casek=1 yields Fréchet’s inequalities, andk=2 yields Gumbel’s and K. L. Chung’s inequalities. Generalizations are given involvingk-th order divided differences. Using convexity arguments, it is shown that forS ₀=1, whenS ₁≧N−1, and for 1≦k<N≦n andv=0, 1, .... Asymptotic results asn → ∞ are obtained. In particular it is shown that for fixedN, for all sequencesM ₀, ...,M _n of sufficiently large length if and only if for 0<t<1.     

Reorienting regularn-gons

Imagine that randomly oriented objects in the shape of a regularn-sided polygon are moving on a conveyor. Our aim is to specify sequences composed of two different rigid motions which, when performed on these objects, will reposition them in all possible ways. We call such sequencesfacing sequences. (Expressed in group theoretical terms, a facing sequence in a groupG is a sequence of elementsa ₁,a ₂, ...,a _n fromG such thatG={e,a ₁,a ₁ a ₂, ...,a ₁ a ₂ ...a _n }). In this paper we classify various kinds of facing sequences and determine some of their properties. The arguments are group theoretical and combinatorial in nature.     

Smallest maximal snakes of translates of convex domains

LetK be a convex domain. A maximal snake of sizen is a set of non-overlapping translatesK ₁, ...,K _N ofK, whereK _i touchesK _j if and only if |i –j|=1 and no translate ofK can touchK ₁ orK _n without intersecting an additionalK _i ,i=1, ...,n. The size of the smallest maximal snake is proved to be 11 ifK is a parallelogram and to be 10 otherwise.     

An extension of the Erdős-Szekeres theorem on large angles

The existence of a functionn(ε) (ε>0) is established such that given a finite setV in the plane there exists a subsetW⊆V, |W|<n(ε) with the property that for anyv εV\ W there are two pointsw ₁,w ₂ εW such that the angle ∢(w ₁ vw ₂)>π-ε.     

MAXIMUM TREES OF FINITE SEQUENCES

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Necessary and sufficient conditions for hyperplane transversals

We prove that a finite family ={B ₁,B ₂, ...,B _n } of connected compact sets in ^d has a hyperplane transversal if and only if for somek there exists a set of pointsP={p ₁,p ₂, ...,p _n } (i.e., ak-dimensional labeling of the family) which spans ^k and everyk+2 sets of are met by ak-flat consistent with the order type ofP. This is a common generalization of theorems of Hadwiger, Katchalski, Goodman-Pollack and Wenger.Supported in part by NSF grant DMS-8501947 and CCR-8901484, NSA grant MDA904-89-H-2030, and the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, under NSF grant STC88-09648.Supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and DIMACS.     

Construction of hamiltonian cycles with a given spectrum of edge directions in an <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-dimensional Boolean cube

The spectrum of a Hamiltonian cycle (of a Gray code) in an n-dimensional Boolean cube is the series a = (a ₁, ..., a _n ), where a _i is the number of edges of the ith direction in the cycle. The necessary conditions for the existence of a Gray code with the spectrum a are available: the numbers a _i are even and, for k = 1, ..., n, the sum of k arbitrary components of a is at least 2 ^k . We prove that there is some dimension N such that if the necessary condition on the spectrum is also sufficient for the existence of a Hamiltonian cycle with the spectrum in an N-dimensional Boolean cube then the conditions are sufficient for all dimensions n.     

Packing nearly-disjoint sets

De Bruijn and Erdős proved that ifA ₁, ...,A _k are distinct subsets of a set of cardinalityn, and |A _i ∩A _j |≦1 for 1≦i<j ≦k, andk>n, then some two ofA ₁, ...,A _k have empty intersection. We prove a strengthening, that at leastk /n ofA ₁, ...,A _k are pairwise disjoint. This is motivated by a well-known conjecture of Erdőds, Faber and Lovász of which it is a corollary. Partially supported by N. S. F. grant No. MCS—8103440     

Non-<Emphasis Type="Italic">φ</Emphasis>-admissible normal subgroups of free burnside groups

In the present paper for arbitrary automorphism φ of the free Bunside group B(m, n) and for any odd number n ≥ 1003 a sufficient condition for existence of non-φ-admissible normal subgroup of B(m, n) was found. In particular, if automorphism φ is normal, then for any basis {a ₁, a ₂, …, a _m } of the group B(m, n) there is an integer k such that for each i the elements a _i and φ(a i) ^k are conjugates.