Mathematics Problem Archive
Hamiltonian Tetrahedralizations
v1.3 research notesCan every convex polytope in $\mathbb{R}^3$ be partitioned into tetrahedra such that the dual graph has a Hamiltonian path?...
Trapping Light Rays with Segment Mirrors
v1.3 research notesIs it possible to trap all the light from one point source by a finite collection of two-sided disjoint segment mirrors? A light ray is trapped if it ...
Extending Pseudosegment Arrangements by Subdivision
v1.3 research notesHow many intersections among an arrangement of pseudosegments in the plane must be added as vertices to allow the pseudosegment arrangment to be exten...
Counting Polyominoes
v1.3 research notesHow many polyominoes on $n$ squares are there? A polyomino is a connected interior-disjoint union of axis-aligned unit squares joined edge-to-edge, in...
Compatible Triangulations
v1.3 research notesIs it true that every two sets of $n$ planar points in general position with the same number points on their convex hulls have compatible triangulatio...
The Number of Pointed Pseudotriangulations
v1.3 research notesFor a planar point set $S$, is the number of pointed pseudotriangulations always at least the number of triangulations? A pseudotriangle is a planar p...
Sorting $X+Y$ (Pairwise Sums)
v1.3 research notesGiven two sets of numbers, each of size $n$, how quickly can the set of all pairwise sums be sorted? In symbols, given two sets $X$ and $Y$, our goal ...
Vertex-Unfolding Polyhedra
v1.3 research notesConsider a polyhedron with simply connected facets (no holes on a facet) and without boundary (every edge is incident to exactly two facets). Can the ...
General Unfoldings of Nonconvex Polyhedra
v1.3 research notesCan every closed polyhedron be cut along its surface and unfolded into one piece in the plane without overlap? Such an unfolding is called a general u...
3D Minimum-Bend Orthogonal Graph Drawings
v1.3 research notesDoes every simple graph with maximum vertex degree $\Delta \leq 6$ have a 3D orthogonal point-drawing with no more than two bends per edge? A 3D ortho...
Planar Euclidean Maximum TSP
v1.3 research notesWhat is the complexity of finding a tour of maximum Euclidean length for a planar point set?...
Traveling Salesman Problem in Solid Grid Graphs
v1.3 research notesWhat is the complexity of finding a shortest tour in a solid planar grid graph? A planar grid graph is a graph whose vertices are any set of points on...
Pallet Loading
v1.3 research notesWhat is the complexity of the pallet loading problem? Given two pairs of numbers, $(A,B)$ and $(a,b)$, and a number $n$, decide whether $n$ small rect...
Most Circular Partition of a Square
v1.3 research notesWhat is the optimal partition of a square into convex pieces such that the circularity of the pieces is optimized? The circularity of a polygon is the...
Transforming Polygons via Vertex-Centroid Moves
v1.3 research notesGiven an arbitrary polygon, transform it by a finite sequence of ``vertex-centroid'' moves to a regular polygon. A vertex-centroid move is a translati...
Lines Tangent to Four Unit Balls
v1.3 research notesGiven a set of $n$ unit-radius balls in $\mathbb{R}^3$, what is the number of lines that are tangent to four of the balls in the set, and miss all the...
Volume Maximizing Convex Shape
v1.3 research notesLet $C$ be a convex piece of paper; its boundary may be a smooth curve, or a polygon. A perimeter halving folding is a folding of $C$ obtained by iden...
Edge-Unfolding Polycubes
v1.3 research notesIs there any genus-zero orthogonal polyhedron $P$ built by gluing together cubes face-to-face that cannot be edge-unfolded, where all cube edges on th...
Rolling a Die over a Labeled Board
v1.3 research notesLabel the faces of a unit cube with numbers $1$--$6$ as in a die. Place the cube to sit on an integer lattice grid, with one corner at the origin and ...
Polyhedron with Regular Pentagon Faces
v1.3 research notesLet $M$ be a closed polyhedral surface homeomorphic to $S^2$ which is entirely composed of equal regular pentagons. If $M$ is immersed in 3-space, is ...
Congruent Partitions of Polygons
v1.3 research notesPartition a given polygon $P$ into $n$ mutually congruent pieces so that the area of $P$ not covered by the union of the pieces is as small as possibl...
Slicing Axes-Parallel Rectangles
v1.3 research notesLet us say that two rectangles in the place are independent if both their $x$- and $y$-axis projections are disjoint. A set of rectangles is then inde...
Zipper Unfoldings of Convex Polyhedra
v1.3 research notesDoes every convex polyhedron $P$ have a zipper unfolding? A zipper unfolding cuts open $P$ via a single path, necessarily a Hamiltonian path (to span ...
Rigidity of Smooth Isometric Families of Compact Surfaces
v1.3 research notesLet $M$ be a compact surface, $I=(-1,1)$, and $f:M\times I\to\mathbb{R}^3$ a differentiable map such that each $f_t$ is an immersion and its induced m...
Stability of Spherical Plateau Clusters
v1.3 research notesIs every bubble cluster in $\mathbb{R}^3$ made of spherical pieces meeting according to Plateau's rules necessarily stable, in the sense of having non...
Convexity of a Crystal on a Table
v1.3 research notesIs a crystal resting on a table under gravity necessarily convex?...
Minimizing Polyhedral Soap-Film Cones
v1.3 research notesClassify minimizing polyhedral soap-film cones in dimensions five through seven and in all higher dimensions....
Nonpolyhedral Soap-Film Cones
v1.3 research notesDo nonpolyhedral minimizing soap-film cones exist in dimensions four through seven? Construct higher-dimensional examples using triple junctions which...
Soap-Film Singularities in Orbifolds
v1.3 research notesClassify the singularities allowed in soap films in three-dimensional orbifolds, and more generally in cone manifolds....
Product Partitions of Slabs and Long Cylinders
v1.3 research notesIf an optimal planar cluster is crossed with a short interval, is the resulting partition optimal in the slab? Is a horizontal mid-height slice optima...
Combinatorial Types of Equal-Pressure Foam Cells
v1.3 research notesAre there only finitely many combinatorial types of cells in equal-pressure foams in $\mathbb{R}^3$? In particular, can tetrahedra or dodecahedra occu...
Finite Total Scalar Curvature and Planarity
v1.3 research notesIf an area-minimizing $k$-dimensional submanifold of $\mathbb{R}^n$ has finite total scalar curvature and $k>n/2$, must it be planar?...
Large Deviations and Dual Connections
v1.3 research notesInvestigate the relationship between the large-deviation principle, whose rate functions are relative entropies, and dual-connection structures in inf...
Conformal Flatness and Geometric Divergence
v1.3 research notesInvestigate the relationship between the geometry of a conformally flat Riemannian manifold and Matsuzoe's geometric divergence for a conformally-proj...
Tangent-Bundle Symplectic and Almost Complex Structures
v1.3 research notesCharacterize the symplectic manifolds with compatible almost complex structure which are locally obtained from a tangent bundle $T(M)$ by combining th...
Geometry on Sample-Parameter Product Spaces
v1.3 research notesFor a statistical family $f(x;\theta)$, find and study a useful geometry on the product of the sample space and parameter space, accounting for the ch...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 2
v1.3 research notesCan one remove the “right-angled” assumption in Osajda result?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 4
v1.3 research notesAre there torsion-free hyperbolic groups G with cdQ(G)/cdZ(G) < 2/3?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 5
v1.3 research notesWhat can be said about boundaries arising from strict hyperbolization constructions of Charney and Davis, [18]?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 6
v1.3 research notesIs there an example of a group G which is hyperbolic relative to some parabolic subgroups that are nilpotent of class ≥ 3 whose Bowditch boundary is h...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 7
v1.3 research notesSuppose that Z is a compact metrizable topological space, G↷ Z is a convergence action which is topologically transitive, i.e. each G– orbit is dense ...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 8
v1.3 research notesFind topological restrictions on the ideal boundaries of CAT (−1) cubical complexes....
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 9
v1.3 research notesIs it true that isomorphic Coxeter groups have homeomorphic boundaries?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 10
v1.3 research notesDoes there exist a Coxeter group Gn with n-dimensional boundary ∂Gn, so that the rational homological dimension of ∂Gn equals 1?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 11
v1.3 research notesUnder which conditions on the Coxeter diagram of G, the boundary of a Coxeter group is n-connected and locally n-connected?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 12
v1.3 research notesCan exotic homology manifolds as in [14] appear as ideal boundaries of Coxeter groups?...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 14
v1.3 research notesLet $N$ be a closed $n$-manifold and $\Delta$ a flag, no-square triangulation, and let $C(N,\Delta)$ be the associated Davis--Vinberg complex. Is $\pa...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 15
v1.3 research notesSuppose that ( N1, ∆1) and (N2, ∆2) are closed 3-manifolds equipped with flag-triangulations, so that ∂∞C(N1, ∆1) = ∂∞C(N2, ∆2). Does it follow that ev...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 16
v1.3 research notesLet Z be a compactum which is a Z-boundary of a group G. Then Z is never a Boltyansky compactum. In the special case when Z is an Markov compactum, so...
Boundaries of Groups and Kleinian Groups — Problem 17
v1.3 research notesExamples of Kleiner and Croke [22], [23] of non-unique boundaries are badly non-locally-connected. Is that essential in having the “flexibility” to hav...