Lines Avoiding Unit Balls in Three Dimensions

Let B be a set of n unit balls in ℝ³. We show that the combinatorial complexity of the space of lines in ℝ³ that avoid all the balls of B is O(n^3+ε), for any ε > 0. This result has connections to problems in visibility, ray shooting, motion planning, and geometric optimization.     

On the Complexity of Sets of Free Lines and Line Segments Among Balls in Three Dimensions

We present two new fundamental lower bounds on the worst-case combinatorial complexity of sets of free lines and sets of maximal free line segments in the presence of balls in three dimensions.     

Line Transversals of Balls and Smallest Enclosing Cylinders in Three Dimensions

We establish a near-cubic upper bound on the complexity of the space of line transversals of a collection of n balls in three dimensions, and show that the bound is almost tight, in the worst case. We apply this bound to obtain a near-cubic algorithm for computing a smallest infinite cylinder enclosing a given set of points or balls in 3-space. We also present an approximation algorithm for computing a smallest enclosing cylinder. Received May 23, 1997, and in revised form October 20, 1997.     

Realizability of Graphs in Three Dimensions

This paper concludes the characterization of 3-realizable graphs begun by Belk and Connelly. A graph is 3-realizable if, for every configuration of its vertices in E^N with N ≥ 3, there exists a corresponding configuration in E³ with the same edge lengths. In this paper the two graphs V₈ and C₅ × C₂ are shown to be 3-realizable. As shown by Belk and Connelly, this means that the forbidden minors for 3-realizability are K₅ and K_2,2,2.A graph is d-realizable if, for every configuration of its vertices in E^N, there exists a another corresponding configuration in E^d with the same edge lengths.     

Approximating Minimum-Weight Triangulations in Three Dimensions

Let S be a set of noncrossing triangular obstacles in R ³ with convex hull H . A triangulation T of H is compatible with S if every triangle of S is the union of a subset of the faces of T. The weight of T is the sum of the areas of the triangles of T. We give a polynomial-time algorithm that computes a triangulation compatible with S whose weight is at most a constant times the weight of any compatible triangulation. One motivation for studying minimum-weight triangulations is a connection with ray shooting. A particularly simple way to answer a ray-shooting query (``Report the first obstacle hit by a query ray') is to walk through a triangulation along the ray, stopping at the first obstacle. Under a reasonably natural distribution of query rays, the average cost of a ray-shooting query is proportional to triangulation weight. A similar connection exists for line-stabbing queries (``Report all obstacles hit by a query line'). Received February 3, 1997, and in revised form August 21, 1998.     

The Kissing Problem in Three Dimensions

The kissing number k(3) is the maximal number of equal size nonoverlapping spheres in three dimensions that can touch another sphere of the same size. This number was the subject of a famous discussion between Isaac Newton and David Gregory in 1694. The first proof that k(3) = 12 was given by Schutte and van der Waerden only in 1953. In this paper we present a new solution of the Newton--Gregory problem that uses our extension of the Delsarte method. This proof relies on basic calculus and simple spherical geometry.     

Aperture-Angle Optimization Problems in Three Dimensions

Let [a,b] be a line segment with end points a, b and a point at which a viewer is located, all in R ³. The aperture angle of [a,b] from point , denoted by (), is the interior angle at of the triangle (a,b,). Given a convex polyhedron P not intersecting a given segment [a,b] we consider the problem of computing _max() and _min(), the maximum and minimum values of () as varies over all points in P. We obtain two characterizations of _max(). Along the way we solve several interesting special cases of the above problems and establish linear upper and lower bounds on their complexity under several models of computation.     

The Union of Congruent Cubes in Three Dimensions

Abstract. A dihedral (trihedral) wedge is the intersection of two (resp. three) half-spaces in R ³ . It is called α-fat if the angle (resp., solid angle) determined by these half-spaces is at least α>0 . If, in addition, the sum of the three face angles of a trihedral wedge is at least γ >4π/3 , then it is called (γ,α)-substantially fat . We prove that, for any fixed γ>4π/3, α>0 , the combinatorial complexity of the union of n (a) α -fat dihedral wedges, and (b) (γ,α) -substantially fat trihedral wedges is at most O(n^ 2+ ɛ ) , for any ɛ >0 , where the constants of proportionality depend on ɛ , α (and γ ). We obtain as a corollary that the same upper bound holds for the combinatorial complexity of the union of n (nearly) congruent cubes in R ³ . These bounds are not far from being optimal.     

Polyhedral Voronoi Diagrams of Polyhedra in Three Dimensions

We show that the complexity of the Voronoi diagram of a collection of disjoint polyhedra in general position in 3-space that have n vertices overall, under a convex distance function induced by a polyhedron with O(1) facets, is O(n ²⁺), for any > 0. We also show that when the sites are n segments in 3-space, this complexity is O(n ² (n) log n). This generalizes previous results by Chew et al. and by Aronov and Sharir, and solves an open problem put forward by Agarwal and Sharir. Specific distance functions for which our results hold are the L ₁ and L _\infty metrics. These results imply that we can preprocess a collection of polyhedra as above into a near-quadratic data structure that can answer -approximate Euclidean nearest-neighbor queries amidst the polyhedra in time O(log (n/) ), for an arbitrarily small > 0.     

On the Union of Cylinders in Three Dimensions

We show that the combinatorial complexity of the union of n infinite cylinders in ℝ³, having arbitrary radii, is O(n ^2+ε ), for any ε>0; the bound is almost tight in the worst case, thus settling a conjecture of Agarwal and Sharir (Discrete Comput. Geom. 24:645–685, 2000), who established a nearly-quadratic bound for the restricted case of nearly congruent cylinders. Our result extends, in a significant way, the result of Agarwal and Sharir (Discrete Comput. Geom. 24:645–685, 2000), in particular, a simple specialization of our analysis to the case of nearly congruent cylinders yields a nearly-quadratic bound on the complexity of the union in that case, thus significantly simplifying the analysis in Agarwal and Sharir (Discrete Comput. Geom. 24:645–685, 2000). Finally, we extend our technique to the case of “cigars” of arbitrary radii (that is, Minkowski sums of line-segments and balls) and show that the combinatorial complexity of the union in this case is nearly-quadratic as well. This problem has been studied in Agarwal and Sharir (Discrete Comput. Geom. 24:645–685, 2000) for the restricted case where all cigars have (nearly) equal radii. Based on our new approach, the proof follows almost verbatim from the analysis for infinite cylinders and is significantly simpler than the proof presented in Agarwal and Sharir (Discrete Comput. Geom. 24:645–685, 2000).     

The Shape of Orthogonal Cycles in Three Dimensions

Let σ be a directed cycle whose edges have each been assigned a desired direction in 3D (East, West, North, South, Up, or Down) but no length. We say that σ is a shape cycle. We consider the following problem. Does there exist an orthogonal representation Γ of σ in 3D space such that no two edges of Γ intersect except at common endpoints and such that each edge of Γ has the direction specified in σ? If the answer is positive, we say that σ is simple. This problem arises in the context of extending orthogonal graph drawing techniques from 2D to 3D. We give a combinatorial characterization of simple shape cycles that yields linear time recognition and drawing algorithms.     

Enumerating Permutations Avoiding Three Babson-Steingrímsson Patterns

We settle some conjectures formulated by A. Claesson and T. Mansour concerning generalized pattern avoidance of permutations. In particular, we solve the problem of the enumeration of permutations avoiding three generalized patterns of type (1, 2) or (2, 1) by using ECO method and a graphical representation of permutations.Received July 15, 2004     

The Union of Congruent Cubes in Three Dimensions

   Abstract. A dihedral (trihedral) wedge is the intersection of two (resp. three) half-spaces in R ³ . It is called α-fat if the angle (resp., solid angle) determined by these half-spaces is at least α>0 . If, in addition, the sum of the three face angles of a trihedral wedge is at least γ >4π/3 , then it is called (γ,α)-substantially fat . We prove that, for any fixed γ>4π/3, α>0 , the combinatorial complexity of the union of n (a) α -fat dihedral wedges, and (b) (γ,α) -substantially fat trihedral wedges is at most O(n^ 2+ ɛ ) , for any ɛ >0 , where the constants of proportionality depend on ɛ , α (and γ ). We obtain as a corollary that the same upper bound holds for the combinatorial complexity of the union of n (nearly) congruent cubes in R ³ . These bounds are not far from being optimal.     

Locked and Unlocked Polygonal Chains in Three Dimensions

This paper studies movements of polygonal chains in three dimensions whose links are not allowed to cross or change length. Our main result is an algorithmic proof that any simple closed chain that initially takes the form of a planar polygon can be made convex in three dimensions. Other results include an algorithm for straightening open chains having a simple orthogonal projection onto some plane, and an algorithm for making convex any open chain initially configured on the surface of a polytope. All our algorithms require only O(n) basic ``moves.' Received October 9, 1999, and in revised form February 6, 2001, and April 26, 2001. Online publication August 28, 2001.     

On Levels in Arrangements of Surfaces in Three Dimensions

A favorite open problem in combinatorial geometry is to determine the worst-case complexity of a level in an arrangement. Up to now, nontrivial upper bounds in three dimensions are known only for the linear cases of planes and triangles. We propose the first technique that can deal with more general surfaces in three dimensions. For example, in an arrangement of n ??pseudo-planes?? or ??pseudo-spherical patches?? (where the main criterion is that each triple of surfaces has at most two common intersections), we prove that there are at most O(n ^2.997) vertices at any given level.     

Non-Isotropic Jacobi Spectral and Pseudospectral Methods in Three Dimensions

Non-isotropic Jacobi orthogonal approximation and Jacobi-Gauss type interpolation in three dimensions are investigated. The basic approximation results are established, which serve as the mathematical foundation of spectral and pseudospectral methods for singular problems, as well as problems defined on axisymmetric domains and some unbounded domains. The spectral and pseudospectral schemes are provided for two model problems. Their spectral accuracy is proved. Numerical results demonstrate the high efficiency of suggested algorithms.     

Neutrally Floating Objects of Density ½ in Three Dimensions

This paper is concerned with the Floating Body Problem of S. Ulam: the existence of objects other than the sphere, which can float in liquid in any orientation. Despite recent results of F. Wegner pointing towards an affirmative answer, a full proof of their existence is still unavailable. For objects with cylindrical symmetry and density 1/2, the conditions of neutral floating are formulated as an initial value problem, for which a unique solution is predicted in certain cases by a suitable generalization of the Picard–Lindelöf theorem. Numerical integration of the initial value problem provides a rich variety of neutrally floating shapes.     

Incidences between Points and Circles in Three and Higher Dimensions

We show that the number of incidences between m distinct points and n distinct circles in ^d, for any d 3, is O(m^6/11n^9/11(m³/n)+m^2/3n^2/3+m+n), where (n)=(log n)^O((n))2 and where (n) is the inverse Ackermann function. The bound coincides with the recent bound of Aronov and Sharir, or rather with its slight improvement by Agarwal et al., for the planar case. We also show that the number of incidences between m points and n unrestricted convex (or bounded-degree algebraic) plane curves, no two in a common plane, is O(m^4/7n^17/21+m^2/3n^2/3+m+n), in any dimension d 3. Our results improve the upper bound on the number of congruent copies of a fixed tetrahedron in a set of n points in 4-space and the lower bound for the number of distinct distances in a set of n points in 3-space. Another application is an improved bound for the number of incidences (or, rather, containments) between lines and reguli in three dimensions. The latter result has already been applied by Feldman and Sharir to obtain a new bound on the number of joints in an arrangement of lines in three dimensions.