The cross-section body, plane sections of convex bodies and approximation of convex bodies, I

For a convex body K ^d we investigate three associated bodies, its intersection body IK (for 0int K), cross-section body CK, and projection body IIK, which satisfy IKCKIIK. Conversely we prove CKconst₁(d)I(K–x) for some xint K, and IIKconst₂ (d)CK, for certain constants, the first constant being sharp. We estimate the maximal k-volume of sections of 1/2(K+(-K)) with k-planes parallel to a fixed k-plane by the analogous quantity for K; our inequality is, if only k is fixed, sharp. For L ^d a convex body, we take n random segments in L, and consider their Minkowski average D. We prove that, for V(L) fixed, the supremum of V(D) (with also nN arbitrary) is minimal for L an ellipsoid. This result implies the Petty projection inequality about max V((IIM)*), for M ^d a convex body, with V(M) fixed. We compare the volumes of projections of convex bodies and the volumes of the projections of their sections, and, dually, the volumes of sections of convex bodies and the volumes of sections of their circumscribed cylinders. For fixed n, the pth moments of V(D) (1p<) also are minimized, for V(L) fixed, by the ellipsoids. For k=2, the supremum (nN arbitrary) and the pth moment (n fixed) of V(D) are maximized for example by triangles, and, for L centrally symmetric, for example by parallelograms. Last we discuss some examples for cross-section bodies.Research (partially) supported by Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research, Grant No. 41.     

On the relative distances of seven points in a plane convex body

Let C be a convex body in the Euclidean plane. The relative distance of points p and q is twice the Euclidean distance of p and q divided by the Euclidean length of a longest chord in C with the direction, say, from p to q. We prove that, among any seven points of a plane convex body, there are two points at relative distance at most one, and one cannot be replaced by a smaller value. We apply our result to determine the diameter of point sets in normed planes. Zsolt Lángi: Partially supported by the Hung. Nat. Sci. Found. (OTKA), grant no. T043556 and T037752 and by the Alberta Ingenuity Fund.     

Some inequalities for Lp radial Blaschke-Minkowski homomorphisms1

The notion of radial Blaschke-Minkowski homomorphisms was presented by Schuster. Afterwards, Wang et al. introduced L_p radial Blaschke-Minkowski homomorphisms. In this paper, associated with L_p-dual a?ne surface areas, we establish some inequalities including the Brunn-Minkowski type inequality, cyclic inequality and monotonic inequalities, and give an a?rmative answer and a negative answer of Busemann-Petty problem for the L_p radial Blaschke-Minkowski homomorphisms.     

On the volume of convex hulls of sets on spheres

We prove that for a measurable subset of S ^n–1 with fixed Haar measure, the volume of its convex hull is minimized for a cap (i.e. a ball with respect to the geodesic measure). We solve a similar problem for symmetric sets and n=2, 3. As a consequence, we deduce a result concerning Gaussian measures of dilatations of convex, symmetric sets in R ² and R ³.Partially supported by KBN (Poland), Grant No. 2 1094 91 01.     

On the transversal Helly numbers of disjoint and overlapping disks

A family of disks is said to have the property T(k) if any k members of the family have a common line transversal. We call a family of unit diameter disks t-disjoint if the distances between the centers are greater than t. We consider for each natural number k≧ 3 the infimum t_k of the distances t for which any finite family of t-disjoint unit diameter disks with the property T(k) has a line transversal. We determine exact values of t₃ and t₄, and give general lower and upper bounds on the sequence t_k, showing that t_k = O(1/k) as k → ∞. In honour of Helge Tverberg’s seventieth birthday Received: 9 June 2005     

On the smallest disk containing a planar reduced convex body

A convex body R of Euclidean space E ^d is said to be reduced if every convex body $ P \subset R $ different from R has thickness smaller than the thickness $ \Delta(R) $ of R. We prove that every planar reduced body R is contained in a disk of radius $ {1\over 2}\sqrt 2 \cdot \Delta(R) $. For $ d \geq 3 $, an analogous property is not true because we can construct reduced bodies of thickness 1 and of arbitrarily large diameter.     

The Busemann-Petty problem in hyperbolic and spherical spaces

The Busemann-Petty problem asks whether origin-symmetric convex bodies in Rⁿ with smaller central hyperplane sections necessarily have smaller n-dimensional volume. It is known that the answer to this problem is affirmative if n?4 and negative if n?5. We study this problem in hyperbolic and spherical spaces.     

On the best estimate for perimeters of plane sets with the angle property

We investigate the problem of finding the maximum length of perimeters of plane sets with fixed diameter d, such that every point of the boundary of the set is a vertex of an open angle of opening which does not intersect the set. First we consider plane curves which satisfy such angle property in a finite number of directions, and among them we find the one of maximum length. Then we prove that the perimeter of any plane set with the angle property is less than or equal to d(sin /2)^-2; this is the best estimate when /2.     

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.     

Constant Minkowskian width in terms of double normals

We extend the notion of a double normal of a convex body from smooth, strictly convex Minkowski planes to arbitrary two-dimensional real, normed, linear spaces in two different ways. Then, for both of these ways, we obtain the following characterization theorem: a convex body K in a Minkowski plane is of constant Minkowskian width iff every chord I of K splits K into two compact convex sets K₁ and K₂ such that I is a Minkowskian double normal of K₁ or K₂. Furthermore, the Euclidean version of this theorem yields a new characterization of d-dimensional Euclidean ball where d 3.     

Flat transversals to flats and convex sets of a fixed dimension

Helly and Hadwiger type theorems for transversal m-flats to families of flats and, respectively, convex sets of dimension n are proved in the case of general position. The proofs rely on Helly type theorems for “linear partitions” and “convex partitions,” so that a general theory of Helly numbers is also developed.     

Variations on the theme of repeated distances

We give an asymptotically sharp estimate for the error term of the maximum number of unit distances determined byn points in ^{d, d}4. We also give asymptotically tight upper bounds on the total number of occurrences of the favourite distances fromn points in ^{d, d}4. Related results are proved for distances determined byn disjoint compact convex sets in ².At the time this paper was written, both authors were visiting the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.     

The dimension of the kernel in an intersection of starshaped sets

We establish the following Helly-type theorem: Let ${\cal K}$ be a family of compact sets in $\mathbb{R}^d$. If every d + 1 (not necessarily distinct) members of ${\cal K}$ intersect in a starshaped set whose kernel contains a translate of set A, then $\cap \{ K : K\; \hbox{in}\; {\cal K} \}$ also is a starshaped set whose kernel contains a translate of A. An analogous result holds when ${\cal K}$ is a finite family of closed sets in $\mathbb{R}^d$. Moreover, we have the following planar result: Define function f on $\{0, 1, 2\}$ by f(0) = f(2) = 3, f(1) = 4. Let ${\cal K}$ be a finite family of closed sets in the plane. For k = 0, 1, 2, if every f(k) (not necessarily distinct) members of ${\cal K}$ intersect in a starshaped set whose kernel has dimension at least k, then $\cap \{K : K\; \hbox{in}\; {\cal K}\}$ also is a starshaped set whose kernel has dimension at least k. The number f(k) is best in each case.Received: 4 June 2002     

Constructing a polytope to approximate a convex body

We develop an algorithm to construct a convex polytopeP withn vertices, contained in an arbitrary convex bodyK inR ^d , so that the ratio of the volumes |K/P|/|K| is dominated byc ·. d/n ^2/(d–1).Supported in part by the fund for the promotion of research in the Technion     

Antipodality in hyperbolic space

An antipodal set in Euclidean n-space is a set of points with the property that through any two of them there is a pair of parallel hyperplanes supporting the set. In this paper we discuss the various possible ways to translate this notion to hyperbolic space and find the maximal cardinality of a hyperbolic antipodal set (according to the different definitions). The first two authors were partially supported by the Hung. Nat. Sci. Found. (OTKA), grant no. T043556 and T037752 and the first author was partially supported also by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant.     

A monotonicity lemma in higher dimensions

Let K be a body of constant width in a Minkowski space (i.e., in a real finite dimensional Banach space). Then any hyperplane section S of K bounds two parts of K one of which has the same diameter as S. Furthermore, if we represent K as the union of hyperplane sections S(t), t ∈[0, 1], continuously depending on t, then the Minkowskian diameter of S(t) is a unimodal function of the variable t. These two statements (being the core of this note) can be considered as higher-dimensional extensions of the well-known monotonicity lemma from Minkowski geometry.     

Quotient functions of dual quermassintegrals

Abstract

Motivated by the notion of volume difference functions, we introduce quotient functions of dual quermassintegrals and establish Brunn-Minkowski type inequalities for them, which have several recent results as special cases.     

A new characterization of Radon curves via angular bisectors

We prove that a Minkowski plane is a Radon plane iff Busemanns and Glogovskijs definitions of angular bisectors coincide.     

Sets associated with the farthest point problem

LetS be a convex compact set in a normed linear spaceX. For each cardinal numbern, defineS _n = {x X:x has exactlyn farthest points inS} andT _n = _kn S _k. It is shown that ifX =E thenT ₃ is countable andT ₂ is contractible to a point. Properties of associated level curves are given.