English

A matrix version of the Steinitz lemma

Combinatorics 2024-02-13 v2

Abstract

The Steinitz lemma, a classic from 1913, states that a1,,ana_1,\ldots,a_n, a sequence of vectors in Rd\R^d with 1nai=0\sum_1^n a_i=0, can be rearranged so that every partial sum of the rearranged sequence has norm at most 2dmaxai2d\max \|a_i\|. In the matrix version AA is a k×nk\times n matrix with entries aijRda_i^j \in \R^d with j=1ki=1naij=0\sum_{j=1}^k\sum_{i=1}^na_i^j=0. It is proved in \cite{OPW} that there is a rearrangement of row jj of AA (for every jj) such that the sum of the entries in the first mm columns of the rearranged matrix has norm at most 40d5maxaij40d^5\max \|a_i^j\| (for every mm). We improve this bound to (4d2)maxaij(4d-2)\max \|a_i^j\|.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2308.10102,
  title  = {A matrix version of the Steinitz lemma},
  author = {Imre Barany},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.10102},
  year   = {2024}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T11:59:31.520Z