A Lower Bound for the Simplexity of then-Cube via Hyperbolic Volumes

AbstractLet T(n) denote the number of n -simplices in a minimum cardinality decomposition of the n -cube into n -simplices. For n≥ 1, we show that T(n) ≥H(n), where H(n) is the ratio of the hyperbolic volume of the ideal cube to the ideal regular simplex. H(n) ≥12·6n/2(n+ 1)−n+12n!. Also limn→∞n [H(n)]1/n≈ 0.9281. Explicit bounds for T(n) are tabulated for n≤ 10, and we mention some other results on hyperbolic volumes

Lower bounds for the simplexity of the n-cube

In this paper we prove a new asymptotic lower bound for the minimal number of simplices in simplicial dissections of $n$-dimensional cubes. In particular we show that the number of simplices in dissections of $n$-cubes without additional vertices is at least $(n+1)^{\frac {n-1} 2}$.Comment: 10 page

Asymptotically efficient triangulations of the d-cube

Let $P$ and $Q$ be polytopes, the first of "low" dimension and the second of "high" dimension. We show how to triangulate the product $P \times Q$ efficiently (i.e., with few simplices) starting with a given triangulation of $Q$. Our method has a computational part, where we need to compute an efficient triangulation of $P \times \Delta^m$, for a (small) natural number $m$ of our choice. $\Delta^m$ denotes the $m$-simplex. Our procedure can be applied to obtain (asymptotically) efficient triangulations of the cube $I^n$: We decompose $I^n = I^k \times I^{n-k}$, for a small $k$. Then we recursively assume we have obtained an efficient triangulation of the second factor and use our method to triangulate the product. The outcome is that using $k=3$ and $m=2$, we can triangulate $I^n$ with $O(0.816^{n} n!)$ simplices, instead of the $O(0.840^{n} n!)$ achievable before.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures. Only minor changes from previous versions, some suggested by anonymous referees. Paper accepted in "Discrete and Computational Geometry

Lattice Delone simplices with super-exponential volume

In this short note we give a construction of an infinite series of Delone simplices whose relative volume grows super-exponentially with their dimension. This dramatically improves the previous best lower bound, which was linear.Comment: 7 pages; v2: revised version improves our exponential lower bound to a super-exponential on

There are only two nonobtuse binary triangulations of the unit nn-cube

Triangulations of the cube into a minimal number of simplices without additional vertices have been studied by several authors over the past decades. For $3\leq n\leq 7$ this so-called simplexity of the unit cube $I^n$ is now known to be $5,16,67,308,1493$, respectively. In this paper, we study triangulations of $I^n$ with simplices that only have nonobtuse dihedral angles. A trivial example is the standard triangulation into $n!$ simplices. In this paper we show that, surprisingly, for each $n\geq 3$ there is essentially only one other nonobtuse triangulation of $I^n$, and give its explicit construction. The number of nonobtuse simplices in this triangulation is equal to the smallest integer larger than $n!({\rm e}-2)$.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure

Lower Bounds for Simplicial Covers and Triangulations of Cubes

We show that the size of a minimal simplicial cover of a polytope P is a lower bound for the size of a minimal triangulation of P, including ones with extra vertices. We then use this fact to study minimal triangulations of cubes, and we improve lower bounds for covers and triangulations in dimensions 4 through at least 12 (and possibly more dimensions as well). Important ingredients are an analysis of the number of exterior faces that a simplex in the cube can have of a specified dimension and volume, and a characterization of corner simplices in terms of their exterior faces

Extremal properties for dissections of convex 3-polytopes

A dissection of a convex d-polytope is a partition of the polytope into d-simplices whose vertices are among the vertices of the polytope. Triangulations are dissections that have the additional property that the set of all its simplices forms a simplicial complex. The size of a dissection is the number of d-simplices it contains. This paper compares triangulations of maximal size with dissections of maximal size. We also exhibit lower and upper bounds for the size of dissections of a 3-polytope and analyze extremal size triangulations for specific non-simplicial polytopes: prisms, antiprisms, Archimedean solids, and combinatorial d-cubes.Comment: 19 page

Lectures on 0/1-polytopes

These lectures on the combinatorics and geometry of 0/1-polytopes are meant as an \emph{introduction} and \emph{invitation}. Rather than heading for an extensive survey on 0/1-polytopes I present some interesting aspects of these objects; all of them are related to some quite recent work and progress. 0/1-polytopes have a very simple definition and explicit descriptions; we can enumerate and analyze small examples explicitly in the computer (e.g. using {\tt polymake}). However, any intuition that is derived from the analysis of examples in ``low dimensions'' will miss the true complexity of 0/1-polytopes. Thus, in the following we will study several aspects of the complexity of higher-dimensional 0/1-polytopes: the doubly-exponential number of combinatorial types, the number of facets which can be huge, and the coefficients of defining inequalities which sometimes turn out to be extremely large. Some of the effects and results will be backed by proofs in the course of these lectures; we will also be able to verify some of them on explicit examples, which are accessible as a {\tt polymake} database.Comment: 45 pages, many figures; to appear in "Polytopes - Combinatorics and Computation" (G. Kalai and G.M. Ziegler, eds.), DMV Seminars Series, Birkh"auser Base