In this article we introduce a general definition of the concept of center of an $n$-gon, for $n\geq 3$, generalizing the idea of C. Kimberling for triangle. We define centers associated to functions instead of to geometrical properties. We discuss the definition of those functions depending on both, the vertices of the polygons or the lengths of sides and diagonals. We explore the problem of characterization of regular polygons in terms of these $n$-gon center functions and we study the relation between our general definition of center of a polygon and other approaches arising from Applied Mathematics.
In this paper we provide a review of the concept of center of a $n$-gon, generalizing the original idea given by C. Kimberling for triangles. We also generalize the concept of central line for $n$-gons for $n\geq 3$ and establish its basic properties.
We study the problem of finding a point of maximal electrostatic potential inside an arbitrary triangle with homogeneous surface charge distribution. In this article we derive several synthetic and analytic relations for its location in the plane. Moreover, this point satisfies the definition of a triangle center, different from any of previously discovered centers in Clark Kimberling's encyclopedia. Writing style is slightly informal as the paper is targeted to a wide audience.
An equilateral triangle cannot be dissected into finitely many mutually incongruent equilateral triangles [Tutte 1948]. Therefore Tuza [Tuza 1991] asked for the largest number $s=s(n)$ such that there is a tiling of an equilateral triangle by $n$ equilateral triangles of $s(n)$ different sizes. We solve that problem completely and consider the analogous questions for dissections of convex $k$-gons into equilateral triangles, $k=4,5,6$. Moreover, we discuss all these questions for the subclass of tilings such that no two tiles are translates of each other.
We say that a triangle $T$ tiles a polygon $A$, if $A$ can be dissected into finitely many nonoverlapping triangles similar to $T$. We show that if $N>42$, then there are at most three nonsimilar triangles $T$ such that the angles of $T$ are rational multiples of $π$ and $T$ tiles the regular $N$-gon. A tiling into similar triangles is called regular, if the pieces have two angles, $\al$ and $\be$, such that at each vertex of the tiling the number of angles $\al$ is the same as that of $\be$. Otherwise the tiling is irregular. It is known that for every regular polygon $A$ there are infinitely…
A tiling is a decomposition of a polygon into finitely many non-overlapping triangles. We prove that if a regular n-gon, $n \geq 5$, $n \neq 28$, can be tiled with similar right triangles, then one of the angles of these triangles is in $\left\{\fracπ{n},\frac{2π}{n}, \fracπ {6}+\frac{2π}{3n}\right\}$. Some related results were previously obtained by M.Laczkovich and B. Szegedy.
A high-level description of an algorithm which computes the minimum perimeter triangle enclosing a convex polygon in linear time exists in the literature. Besides that an implementation of the algorithm is given in the subsequent work. However, that implementation is incomplete and omits certain common cases. This note's contribution consist of a modern treatment of the algorithm and its consequent simple and robust implementation.
Given the n vertices of a convex polygon in cyclic order, can the triangle of maximum area inscribed in P be determined by an algorithm with O(n) time complexity? A purported linear-time algorithm by Dobkin and Snyder from 1979 has recently been shown to be incorrect by Keikha, Löffler, Urhausen, and van der Hoog. These authors give an alternative algorithm with O(n log n) time complexity. Here we give an algorithm with linear time complexity.
Given a closed polygon P having n edges, embedded in R^d, we give upper and lower bounds for the minimal number of triangles t needed to form a triangulated PL surface in R^d having P as its geometric boundary. The most interesting case is dimension 3, where the polygon may be knotted. We use the Seifert suface construction to show there always exists an embedded surface requiring at most 7n^2 triangles. We complement this result by showing there are polygons in R^3 for which any embedded surface requires at least 1/2n^2 - O(n) triangles. In dimension 2 only n-2 triangles are needed, and in di…
We prove that every rational angled hyperbolic triangle has transcendental side lengths and that every rational angled hyperbolic quadrilateral has at least one transcendental side length. Thus, there does not exist a rational angled hyperbolic triangle or quadrilateral with algebraic side lengths. We conjecture that there does not exist a rational angled hyperbolic polygon with algebraic side lengths.
We consider the problem of finding the probability that a random triangle is obtuse, which was first raised by Lewis Caroll. Our investigation leads us to a natural correspondence between plane polygons and the Grassmann manifold of 2-planes in real $n$-space proposed by Allen Knutson and Jean-Claude Hausmann. This correspondence defines a natural probability measure on plane polygons. In these terms, we answer Caroll's question. We then explore the Grassmannian geometry of planar quadrilaterals, providing an answer to Sylvester's four-point problem, and describing explicitly the moduli space …
In a recent paper, Cristofaro-Gardiner--Li--Stanley [CGLS15] constructed examples of irrational triangles whose Ehrhart functions (i.e. lattice-point count) are polynomials when restricted to positive integer dilation factors. This is very surprising because the Ehrhart functions of rational polygons are usually only quasi-polynomials. We demonstrate that most of their triangles can also be obtained by a simple cut-and-paste procedure that allows us to build new examples with more sides. Our examples might potentially have applications in the theory of symplectic embeddings.
A simple $n$-gon is a polygon with $n$ edges with each vertex belonging to exactly two edges and every other point belonging to at most one edge. Brass asked the following question: For $n \geq 5$ odd, what is the maximum perimeter of a simple $n$-gon contained in a Euclidean unit disk? In 2009, Audet, Hansen and Messine answered this question, and showed that the optimal configuration is an isosceles triangle with a multiple edge, inscribed in the disk. In this note we give a shorter and simpler proof of their result, which we generalize also for hyperbolic disks, and for spherical disks of s…
Recutting is an operation on planar polygons defined by cutting a polygon along a diagonal to remove a triangle, and then reattaching the triangle along the same diagonal but with opposite orientation. Recuttings along different diagonals generate an action of the affine symmetric group on the space of polygons. We show that this action is given by cluster transformations and is completely integrable. The integrability proof is based on interpretation of recutting as refactorization of quaternionic polynomials.
It is well known that Heron's theorem provides an explicit formula for the area of a triangle, as a symmetric function of the lengths of its sides. It has been extended by Brahmagupta to quadrilaterals inscribed in a circle (cyclic quadrilaterals). A natural problem is trying to further generalize the result to cyclic polygons with a larger number of edges, which, surprisingly, has revealed to be far from simple. In this paper we investigate such a problem by following a new and elementary approach. We start from the simple observation that the incircle of a right triangle touches its hypothen…
Hilbert volume is an invariant of real projective geometry. Polygons inscribed in polygons are considered for the real projective plane. The correspondence between Fock-Goncharov and Cartesian coordinates is examined. Degeneration and Hilbert area of inscribed quadrilaterals are analyzed. A microlocal condition is developed for bounded Hilbert area under degeneration. The condition is applied to give a sequence of strictly convex domains with bounded Hilbert area and divergent Goldman parameters.
A simple n-gon is a polygon with n edges such that each vertex belongs to exactly two edges and every other point belongs to at most one edge. Brass, Moser and Pach asked the following question: For n > 3 odd, what is the maximum perimeter of a simple n-gon contained in a Euclidean unit disk? In 2009, Audet, Hansen and Messine answered this question, and showed that the supremum is the perimeter of an isosceles triangle inscribed in the disk, with an edge of multiplicity n-2. Lángi generalized their result for polygons contained in a hyperbolic disk. In this note we find the supremum of the pe…
This paper considers affine analogues of the isoperimetric inequality in the sense of piecewise linear topology. Given a closed polygon P embedded in R^d having n edges, we give upper and lower bounds for the minimal number of triangles needed to forma triangulated embedded orientable surface in R^d having P as its geometric boundary. The most interesting case is dimension dimension 3, where we give an upper bound of 7 n^2 triangles, and a lower bound for some polygons P that require at least 1/2 n^2 triangles. In dimension 2 and dimensions 5 and above one needs only O(n) triangles. The case o…
