We use computational experiments to find the rectangles of minimum area into which a given number n of non-overlapping congruent circles can be packed. No assumption is made on the shape of the rectangles. Most of the packings found have the usual regular square or hexagonal pattern. However, for 1495 values of n in the tested range n =< 5000, specifically, for n = 49, 61, 79, 97, 107,... 4999, we prove that the optimum cannot possibly be achieved by such regular arrangements. The evidence suggests that the limiting height-to-width ratio of rectangles containing an optimal hexagonal packing of circles tends to 2-sqrt(3) as n tends to infinity, if the limit exists.
In \cite{Sz17-2} we considered hyperball packings in $3$-dimensional hyperbolic space. We developed a decomposition algorithm that for each saturated hyperball packing provides a decomposition of $\HYP$ into truncated tetrahedra. In order to get a density upper bound for hyperball packings, it is sufficient to determine the density upper bound of hyperball packings in truncated simplices. Therefore, in this paper we examine the doubly truncated Coxeter orthoscheme tilings and the corresponding congruent and non-congruent hyperball packings. We proved that related to the mentioned Coxeter tilin…
In this paper we study congruent and non-congruent hyperball (hypersphere) packings of the truncated regular tetrahedron tilings. These are derived from the Coxeter simplex tilings $\{p,3,3\}$ $(7\le p \in \mathbb{N})$ and $\{5,3,3,3,3\}$ in $3$ and $5$-dimensional hyperbolic space. We determine the densest hyperball packing arrangements related to the above tilings. We find packing densities using congruent hyperballs and determine the smallest density upper bound of non-congruent hyperball packings generated by the above tilings.
We prove upper bounds on the average kissing number $k(\mathcal{P})$ and contact number $C(\mathcal{P})$ of an arbitrary finite non-congruent sphere packing $\mathcal{P}$, and prove an upper bound on the packing density $δ(\mathcal{P})$ of an arbitrary infinite non-congruent sphere packing $\mathcal{P}$.
The Koebe circle packing theorem states that every finite planar graph can be realized as the nerve of a packing of (non-congruent) circles in R^3. We investigate the average kissing number of finite packings of non-congruent spheres in R^3 as a first restriction on the possible nerves of such packings. We show that the supremum k of the average kissing number for all packings satisfies 12.566 ~ 666/53 <= k < 8 + 4*sqrt(3) ~ 14.928 We obtain the upper bound by a resource exhaustion argument and the upper bound by a construction involving packings of spherical caps in S^3. Our result contradict…
In this paper we study congruent and non-congruent hyperball (hypersphere) packings of the truncated regular octahedron and cube tilings. These are derived from the Coxeter simplex tilings $\{p,3,4\}$ $(7\le p \in \mathbb{N})$ and $\{p,4,3\}$ $(5\le p \in \mathbb{N})$ in $3$-dimensional hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^3$. We determine the densest hyperball packing arrangement and its density with congruent and non-congruent hyperballs related to the above tilings in $\mathbb{H}^3$. We prove that the locally densest congruent or non-congruent hyperball configuration belongs to the regular truncate…
In \cite{Sz17-2} we proved that to each saturated congruent hyperball packing exists a decomposition of $3$-dimensional hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^3$ into truncated tetrahedra. Therefore, in order to get a density upper bound for hyperball packings, it is sufficient to determine the density upper bound of hyperball packings in truncated simplices. In this paper we prove, using the above results and the results of papers \cite{M94} and \cite{Sz14}, that the density upper bound of the saturated congruent hyperball (hypersphere) packings related to the corresponding truncated tetrahedron cells …
We use computational experiments to find the rectangles of minimum perimeter into which a given number n of non-overlapping congruent circles can be packed. No assumption is made on the shape of the rectangles. In many of the packings found, the circles form the usual regular square-grid or hexagonal patterns or their hybrids. However, for most values of n in the tested range n =< 5000, e.g., for n = 7, 13, 17, 21, 22, 26, 31, 37, 38, 41, 43...,4997, 4998, 4999, 5000, we prove that the optimum cannot possibly be achieved by such regular arrangements. Usually, the irregularities in the best pac…
In this paper we prove a theorem that provides an upper bound for the density of packings of congruent copies of a given convex body in $\mathbb{R}^n$; this theorem is a generalization of the linear programming bound for sphere packings. We illustrate its use by computing an upper bound for the maximum density of packings of regular pentagons in the plane. Our computational approach is numerical and uses a combination of semidefinite programming, sums of squares, and the harmonic analysis of the Euclidean motion group. We show how, with some extra work, the bounds so obtained can be made rigor…
By rectangle packing we mean putting a set of rectangles into an enclosing rectangle, without any overlapping. We begin with perfect rectangle packing problems, then prove two continuity properties for parallel rectangle packing problems, and discuss how they might be used to obtain negative results for perfect rectangle packing problems.
We consider packings of congruent circles on a square flat torus, i.e., periodic (w.r.t. a square lattice) planar circle packings, with the maximal circle radius. This problem is interesting due to a practical reason - the problem of "super resolution of images." We have found optimal arrangements for N=6, 7 and 8 circles. Surprisingly, for the case N=7 there are three different optimal arrangements. Our proof is based on a computer enumeration of toroidal irreducible contact graphs.
After the investigation of the congruent and non-congruent hyperball packings related to doubly truncated Coxeter orthoscheme tilings \cite{SzJ1}, we consider the corresponding covering problems. In \cite{MSSz} the authors gave a partial classification of supergroups of some hyperbolic space groups whose fundamental domains will be integer parts of truncated tetrahedra, and determined the optimal congruent hyperball packing and covering configurations belonging to some of these classes. In this paper we compliment these results with the investigation of the non-congruent covering cases, and th…
Continuing the investigations of Harborth (1974) and the author (2002) we study the following two rather basic problems on sphere packings. Recall that the contact graph of an arbitrary finite packing of unit balls (i.e., of an arbitrary finite family of non-overlapping unit balls) in Euclidean 3-space is the (simple) graph whose vertices correspond to the packing elements and whose two vertices are connected by an edge if the corresponding two packing elements touch each other. One of the most basic questions on contact graphs is to find the maximum number of edges that a contact graph of a p…
It is known that $\sum\limits_{i=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{i (i+1)} = 1$. In 1968, Meir and Moser asked for finding the smallest $ε$ such that all the rectangles of sizes $1/i \times 1/(i + 1)$ for $i = 1, 2, \ldots$, can be packed into a unit square or a rectangle of area $1 + ε$. In this paper, we show that we can pack the first $1.35\cdot10^{11}$ rectangles into the unit square and give an estimate for $ε$ from this packing.
We show that every packing of congruent regular pentagons in the Euclidean plane has density at most $(5-\sqrt5)/3$, which is about 0.92. More specifically, this article proves the pentagonal ice-ray conjecture of Henley (1986), and Kuperberg and Kuperberg (1990), which asserts that an optimal packing of congruent regular pentagons in the plane is a double lattice, formed by aligned vertical columns of upward pointing pentagons alternating with aligned vertical columns of downward pointing pentagons. The strategy is based on estimates of the areas of Delaunay triangles. Our strategy reduces th…
Let $Δ$ be the optimal packing density of $\mathbb R^n$ by unit balls. We show the optimal packing density using two sizes of balls approaches $Δ+ (1 - Δ) Δ$ as the ratio of the radii tends to infinity. More generally, if $B$ is a body and $D$ is a finite set of bodies, then the optimal density $Δ_{\{rB\} \cup D}$ of packings consisting of congruent copies of the bodies from $\{rB\} \cup D$ converges to $Δ_D + (1 - Δ_D) Δ_{\{B\}}$ as $r$ tends to zero.
In $n$-dimensional hyperbolic space $\mathbf{H}^n$ $(n\ge2)$ there are $3$-types of spheres (balls): the sphere, horosphere and hypersphere. If $n=2,3$ we know an universal upper bound of the ball packing densities, where each ball volume is related to the volume of the corresponding Dirichlet-Voronoi (D-V) cell. E.g. in $\mathbf{H}^3$ the densest horoball packing is derived from the $\{3,3,6\}$ Coxeter tiling consisting of ideal regular simplices $T_{reg}^\infty$ with dihedral angles $\fracπ{3}$. The density of this packing is $δ_3^\infty\approx 0.85328$ and this provides a very rough upper b…
Moser asked whether the collection of rectangles of dimensions 1 x 1/2, 1/2 x 1/3, 1/3 x 1/4, ..., whose total area equals 1, can be packed into the unit square without overlap, and whether the collection of squares of side lengths 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, ... can be packed without overlap into a rectangle of area pi^2/6-1. Computational investigations have been made into packing these collections into squares of side length 1+epsilon and rectangles of area pi^2/6-1+epsilon, respectively, and one can consider the apparently weaker question whether such packings are possible for every positive number eps…
One of the basic problems in discrete geometry is to determine the most efficient packing of congruent replicas of a given convex set $K$ in the plane or in space. The most commonly used measure of efficiency is density. Several types of the problem arise depending on the type of isometries allowed for the packing: packing by translates, lattice packing, translates and point reflections, or all isometries. Due to its connections with number theory, crystallography, etc., lattice packing has been studied most extensively. In two dimensions the theory is fairly well developed, and there are seve…
In \cite{Sz11} we have generalized the notion of the simplicial density function for horoballs in the extended hyperbolic space $\bar{\mathbf{H}}^n, ~(n \ge 2)$, where we have allowed {\it congruent horoballs in different types} centered at the various vertices of a totally asymptotic tetrahedron. By this new aspect, in this paper we study the locally densest horoball packing arrangements and their densities with respect to totally asymptotic regular tetrahedra in hyperbolic $n$-space $\bar{\mathbf{H}}^n$ extended with its absolute figure, where the ideal centers of horoballs give rise to vert…
The goal of this paper to determine the optimal horoball packing arrangements and their densities for all four fully asymptotic Coxeter tilings (Coxeter honeycombs) in hyperbolic 3-space $\mathbb{H}^3$. Centers of horoballs are required to lie at vertices of the regular polyhedral cells constituting the tiling. We allow horoballs of different types at the various vertices. Our results are derived through a generalization of the projective methodology for hyperbolic spaces. The main result states that the known Böröczky--Florian density upper bound for "congruent horoball" packings of $\mathbb{…
In this article, using the computer, are enumerated all locally-rigid packings by $N$ congruent circles (spherical caps) on the unit sphere ${\Bbb S}^2 $ with $N < 12.$ This is equivalent to the enumeration of irreducible spherical contact graphs.
A \emph{cylinder packing} is a family of congruent infinite circular cylinders with mutually disjoint interiors in $3$-dimensional Euclidean space. The \emph{local density} of a cylinder packing is the ratio between the volume occupied by the cylinders within a given sphere and the volume of the entire sphere. The \emph{global density} of the cylinder packing is obtained by letting the radius of the sphere approach infinity. It is known that the greatest global density is obtained when all cylinders are parallel to each other and each cylinder is surrounded by exactly six others. In this case,…
We analyze the general problem of determining optimally dense packings, in a Euclidean or hyperbolic space, of congruent copies of some fixed finite set of bodies. We are strongly guided by examples of aperiodic tilings in Euclidean space and a detailed analysis of a new family of examples in the hyperbolic plane. Our goal is to understand qualitative features of such optimum density problems, in particular the appropriate meaning of the uniqueness of solutions, and the role of symmetry in classfying optimally dense packings.
In earlier works \cite{Sz06-1}, \cite{Sz06-2}, \cite{Sz13-3} and \cite{Sz13-4} we have investigated the densest packings and the least dense coverings by congruent hyperballs (hyperspheres) to the regular prism tilings in $n$-dimensional hyperbolic space $\HYN$ ($ 3 \le n \in \mathbb{N})$. In this paper we study a large class of hyperball (hypersphere) packings in $3$-dimensional hyperbolic space that can be derived from truncated simplex tilings (e.g. \cite{S14}, \cite{MPSz}). It is clear, that in order to get a density upper bound for the above hyperball packings, it is sufficient to determi…
After having investigated the densest packings by congruent hyperballs to the regular prism tilings in the $n$-dimensional hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^n$ ($n \in \mathbb{N}, n \ge 3)$ we consider the dual covering problems and determine the least dense hyperball arrangements and their densities.
In \cite{Sz13-1} we defined and described the {\it regular infinite or bounded} $p$-gonal prism tilings in $\SLR$ space. We proved that there exist infinitely many regular infinite $p$-gonal face-to-face prism tilings $\cT^i_p(q)$ and infinitely many regular bounded $p$-gonal non-face-to-face prism tilings $\cT_p(q)$ for integer parameters $p,q;~3 \le p$, $ \frac{2p}{p-2} < q$. Moreover, in \cite{MSz14} and \cite{MSzV13} we have determined the symmetry group of $\cT_p(q)$ via its index 2 rotational subgroup, denoted by $\mathbf{pq2_1}$ and investigated the corresponding geodesic and translatio…
The Kepler conjecture asserts that the density of a packing of congruent balls in three dimensions is never greater than $π/\sqrt{18}$. A computer assisted verification confirmed this conjecture in 1998. This article gives a historical introduction to the problem. It describes the procedure that converts this problem into an optimization problem in a finite number of variables and the strategies used to solve this optimization problem.
Motivated by the relation between particle shape and packing, we measure the volume fraction $ϕ$ occupied by the Platonic solids which are a class of polyhedron with congruent sides, vertices and dihedral angles. Tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron shaped plastic dice were fluidized or mechanically vibrated to find stable random loose packing $ϕ_{rlp} = 0.51, 0.54, 0.52, 0.51, 0.50$ and densest packing $ϕ_{rcp} = 0.64, 0.67, 0.64, 0.63, 0.59$, respectively with standard deviation $\simeq \pm 0.01$. We find that $ϕ$ obtained by all protocols peak at the cube, which is t…
Packings of regular convex polygons ($n$-gons) that are sufficiently dense have been studied extensively in the context of modeling physical and biological systems as well as discrete and computational geometry. Former results were mainly regarding densest lattice or double-lattice configurations. Here we consider all two-dimensional crystallographic symmetry groups (plane groups) by restricting the configuration space of the general packing problem of congruent copies of a compact subset of the two-dimensional Euclidean space to particular isomorphism classes of the discrete group of isometri…
We examine sequences of dense packings of n congruent non-overlapping disks inside a square which follow specific patterns as n increases along certain values, n = n(1), n(2),... n(k),.... Extending and improving previous work of Nurmela and Ostergard where previous patterns for n = n(k) of the form k*k, k*k-1, k*k-3, k(k+1), and 4k*k+k were observed, we identify new patterns for n = k*k-2 and n = k*k+[k/2]. We also find denser packings than those in [Nurmela, Ostergard] for n =21, 28, 34, 40, 43, 44, 45, and 47. In addition, we produce what we conjecture to be optimal packings for n =51, 52, …
We discuss several ways of packing a hyperbolic surface with circles (of either varying radii or all being congruent) or horocycles, and note down some observations related to their symmetries (or the absence thereof).
