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

For a given convex body K in 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. Supported by OTKA grants 043520 and 049301, and by the EU Marie Curie grants Discconvgeo, Budalggeo and PHD. Authors’ addresses: Károly J. B?r?czky, Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, P.O. Box 127, Budapest H–1364, Hungary, and Department of Geometry, Roland E?tv?s University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest 1117, Hungary; Salvador S. Gomis, Department of Mathematical Analysis, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain; Péter Tick, Gyűrű utca 24, Budapest H–1039, Hungary