Related papers: Generalizations of Joints Problem
A point $x \in \mathbb{F}^n$ is a joint formed by a finite collection $\mathfrak{L}$ of lines in $\mathbb{F}^n$ if there exist at least $n$ lines in $\mathfrak{L}$ through $x$ that span $\mathbb{F}^n$. It is known that there are $\lesssim_n…
We study several natural instances of the geometric hitting set problem for input consisting of sets of line segments (and rays, lines) having a small number of distinct slopes. These problems model path monitoring (e.g., on road networks)…
Planar point sets with many triple lines (which contain at least three distinct points of the set) have been studied for 180 years, started with Jackson and followed by Sylvester. Green and Tao has shown recently that the maximum possible…
A set S of 2n+1 points in the plane is said to be in general position if no three points of S are collinear and no four are concyclic. A circle is called halving with respect to S if it has three points of S on its circumference, n-1 points…
We discuss the problem of embedding graphs in the plane with restrictions on the vertex mapping. In particular, we introduce a technique for drawing planar graphs with a fixed vertex mapping that bounds the number of times edges bend. An…
We present a proof of the Harbourne-Hirschowitz conjecture for linear systems with base points of multiplicity seven or less. This proof uses a well-known degeneration of the projective plane, as well as a combinatorial technique that…
We examine the structure and dimensionality of the Jones polynomial using manifold learning techniques. Our data set consists of more than 10 million knots up to 17 crossings and two other special families up to 2001 crossings. We introduce…
A set P of points in R^2 is n-universal, if every planar graph on n vertices admits a plane straight-line embedding on P. Answering a question by Kobourov, we show that there is no n-universal point set of size n, for any n>=15. Conversely,…
We use the combinatorial techniques of graphs of intersection to study reducible Dehn surgeries on knots in the three-sphere. In particular, in the event that a reducible surgery on a knot K in the three-sphere of slope r produces a…
Deciding whether a family of disjoint line segments in the plane can be linked into a simple polygon (or a simple polygonal chain) by adding segments between their endpoints is NP-hard.
Let $S$ be a finite set of points in the plane and let $\mathcal{T}(S)$ be the set of intersection points between pairs of lines passing through any two points in $S$. We characterize all configurations of points $S$ such that iteration of…
We give a fairly elementary and simple proof that shows that the number of incidences between $m$ points and $n$ lines in ${\mathbb R}^3$, so that no plane contains more than $s$ lines, is $$ O\left(m^{1/2}n^{3/4}+ m^{2/3}n^{1/3}s^{1/3} + m…
We discuss generalizations of some results on lattice polygons to certain piecewise linear loops which may have a self-intersection but have vertices in the lattice $\mathbb{Z}^2$. We first prove a formula on the rotation number of a…
We consider the following question: Given $n$ lines and $n$ circles in $\mathbb{R}^3$, what is the maximum number of intersection points lying on at least one line and on at least one circle of these families. We prove that if there are no…
A point on a plane curve is said to be Galois (for the curve) if the projection from the point as a map from the curve to a line induces a Galois extension of function fields. It is known that the number of Galois points is finite except…
It is shown that the number of distinct types of three-point hinges, defined by a real plane set of $n$ points is $\gg n^2\log^{-3} n$, where a hinge is identified by fixing two pair-wise distances in a point triple. This is achieved via…
Let $\mathcal{F}$ be a plane singular curve defined over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$. The linear system of plane curves of a given degree passing through the singularities of $\cF$ provides potentially good bounds for the number of points…
We show that the problem of covering a set of points in the plane with a minimum number of guillotine cuts is NP-complete. To that end, first we present a new NP-completeness proof for the problem of covering points with disjoint line…
The purpose of this note is to study configurations of lines in projective planes over arbitrary fields having the maximal number of intersection points where three lines meet. We give precise conditions on ground fields F over which such…
We introduce the abstract notion of a chain, which is a sequence of $n$ points in the plane, ordered by $x$-coordinates, so that the edge between any two consecutive points is unavoidable as far as triangulations are concerned. A general…