Surface of constant width

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Unsolved problem in mathematics:

What is the minimum volume among all shapes of the same constant width?

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Modell einer Flache konstanter Breite (Gleichdick).jpg
Surface of revolution of a Reuleaux triangle, from the Mathematical Model Collection Marburg

In geometry, a surface of constant width is a convex form whose width, measured by the distance between two opposite parallel planes touching its boundary, is the same regardless of the direction of those two parallel planes. One defines the width of the surface in a given direction to be the perpendicular distance between the parallels perpendicular to that direction. Thus, a surface of constant width is the three-dimensional analogue of a curve of constant width, a two-dimensional shape with a constant distance between pairs of parallel tangent lines.

Definition

More generally, any compact convex body D has one pair of parallel supporting planes in a given direction. A supporting plane is a plane that intersects the boundary of D but not the interior of D. One defines the width of the body as before. If the width of D is the same in all directions, then one says that the body is of constant width and calls its boundary a surface of constant width, and the body itself is referred to as a spheroform.

Examples

A sphere, a surface of constant radius and thus diameter, is a surface of constant width.

Contrary to common belief the Reuleaux tetrahedron is not a surface of constant width. However, there are two different ways of smoothing subsets of the edges of the Reuleaux tetrahedron to form Meissner tetrahedra, surfaces of constant width. These shapes were conjectured by Bonnesen & Fenchel (1934) to have the minimum volume among all shapes with the same constant width, but this conjecture remains unsolved.

Among all surfaces of revolution with the same constant width, the one with minimum volume is the shape swept out by a Reuleaux triangle rotating about one of its axes of symmetry ( Campi, Colesanti & Gronchi 1996 ), while the one with maximum volume is the sphere.

Properties

Every parallel projection of a surface of constant width is a curve of constant width. By Barbier's theorem, it follows that every surface of constant width is also a surface of constant girth, where the girth of a shape is the perimeter of one of its parallel projections. Conversely, Hermann Minkowski proved that every surface of constant girth is also a surface of constant width ( Hilbert & Cohn-Vossen 1952 ).

The shapes whose parallel projections have constant area (rather than constant perimeter) are called bodies of constant brightness.

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Reuleaux triangle Curved triangle with constant width

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Reuleaux tetrahedron Shape formed by intersecting four balls

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Hadwiger conjecture (combinatorial geometry)

In combinatorial geometry, the Hadwiger conjecture states that any convex body in n-dimensional Euclidean space can be covered by 2n or fewer smaller bodies homothetic with the original body, and that furthermore, the upper bound of 2n is necessary if and only if the body is a parallelepiped. There also exists an equivalent formulation in terms of the number of floodlights needed to illuminate the body.

Blaschke–Lebesgue theorem Plane geometry theorem on least area of all curves of given constant width

In plane geometry the Blaschke–Lebesgue theorem states that the Reuleaux triangle has the least area of all curves of given constant width. In the form that every curve of a given width has area at least as large as the Reuleaux triangle, it is also known as the Blaschke–Lebesgue inequality. It is named after Wilhelm Blaschke and Henri Lebesgue, who published it separately in the early 20th century.

In three-dimensional geometry, the girth of a geometric object, in a certain direction, is the perimeter of its parallel projection in that direction. For instance, the girth of a unit cube in a direction parallel to one of the three coordinate axes is four: it projects to a unit square, which has four as its perimeter.

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Hedgehog (geometry) Type of mathematical plane curve

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Reinhardt polygon Polygon with many longest diagonals

In geometry, a Reinhardt polygon is an equilateral polygon inscribed in a Reuleaux polygon. As in the regular polygons, each vertex of a Reinhardt polygon participates in at least one defining pair of the diameter of the polygon. Reinhardt polygons with sides exist, often with multiple forms, whenever is not a power of two. Among all polygons with sides, the Reinhardt polygons have the largest possible perimeter for their diameter, the largest possible width for their diameter, and the largest possible width for their perimeter. They are named after Karl Reinhardt, who studied them in 1922.

In convex geometry, a body of constant brightness is a three-dimensional convex set all of whose two-dimensional projections have equal area. A sphere is a body of constant brightness, but others exist. Bodies of constant brightness are a generalization of curves of constant width, but are not the same as another generalization, the surfaces of constant width.

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