English

A solution to Newton's least resistance problem is uniquely defined by its singular set

Optimization and Control 2022-01-14 v3

Abstract

Let uu minimize the functional F(u)=Ωf(u(x))dxF(u) = \int_\Omega f(\nabla u(x))\, dx in the class of convex functions u:ΩRu : \Omega \to {\mathbb R} satisfying 0uM0 \le u \le M, where ΩR2\Omega \subset {\mathbb R}^2 is a compact convex domain with nonempty interior and M>0M > 0, and f:R2Rf : {\mathbb R}^2 \to {\mathbb R} is a C2C^2 function, with {ξ:the smallest eigenvalue off"(ξ)is zero}\{ \xi : \, \text{the smallest eigenvalue of} \, f"(\xi) \, \text{is zero} \} being a closed nowhere dense set in R2{\mathbb R}^2. Let epi(u)(u) denote the epigraph of uu. Then any extremal point (x,u(x))(x, u(x)) of epi(u)(u) is contained in the closure of the set of singular points of epi(u)(u). As a consequence, an optimal function uu is uniquely defined by the set of singular points of epi(u)(u). This result is applicable to the classical Newton's problem, where F(u)=Ω(1+u(x)2)1dxF(u) = \int_\Omega (1 + |\nabla u(x)|^2)^{-1}\, dx.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2109.14207,
  title  = {A solution to Newton's least resistance problem is uniquely defined by its singular set},
  author = {Alexander Plakhov},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2109.14207},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

44 pages, 13 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-24T06:28:07.122Z