373 research outputs found
Characterizing the Delaunay decompositions of compact hyperbolic surfaces
Given a Delaunay decomposition of a compact hyperbolic surface, one may
record the topological data of the decomposition, together with the
intersection angles between the `empty disks' circumscribing the regions of the
decomposition. The main result of this paper is a characterization of when a
given topological decomposition and angle assignment can be realized as the
data of an actual Delaunay decomposition of a hyperbolic surface.Comment: Published by Geometry and Topology at
http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/gt/GTVol6/paper12.abs.htm
On Chaotic Dynamics in Rational Polygonal Billiards
We discuss the interplay between the piece-line regular and vertex-angle
singular boundary effects, related to integrability and chaotic features in
rational polygonal billiards. The approach to controversial issue of regular
and irregular motion in polygons is taken within the alternative deterministic
and stochastic frameworks. The analysis is developed in terms of the
billiard-wall collision distribution and the particle survival probability,
simulated in closed and weakly open polygons, respectively. In the multi-vertex
polygons, the late-time wall-collision events result in the circular-like
regular periodic trajectories (sliding orbits), which, in the open billiard
case are likely transformed into the surviving collective excitations
(vortices). Having no topological analogy with the regular orbits in the
geometrically corresponding circular billiard, sliding orbits and vortices are
well distinguished in the weakly open polygons via the universal and
non-universal relaxation dynamics.Comment: Published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and
Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA
The Caterpillar Gallery: Quadric Surface Theorems, Parametric Design and Digital Fabrication
The use of certain quadratic surface theorems has mainly been
associated in architecture with the design of classical vaults, domes and piping.
The work presented by the authors is intended to explore the potential of these
theorems to be used in the generation law for more complex shapes in
contemporary architecture. The paper shows the case study of a built full-scale
prototype, The Caterpillar gallery, a project stemming from the combination of
geometric research and teaching innovation.
Formal and structural experimentation take place in this project where, by
starting from geometrical considerations, an efficient way of generating
longitudinal spaces is proposed. One of the mentioned theorems applied to
rotational cones provides the starting point for the generation of a set of
concatenated surfaces that, once assembled, constitute a very stable self-supporting structure with a variety of possible applications
Slow relaxation in weakly open vertex-splitting rational polygons
The problem of splitting effects by vertex angles is discussed for
nonintegrable rational polygonal billiards. A statistical analysis of the decay
dynamics in weakly open polygons is given through the orbit survival
probability. Two distinct channels for the late-time relaxation of type
1/t^delta are established. The primary channel, associated with the universal
relaxation of ''regular'' orbits, with delta = 1, is common for both the closed
and open, chaotic and nonchaotic billiards. The secondary relaxation channel,
with delta > 1, is originated from ''irregular'' orbits and is due to the
rationality of vertices.Comment: Key words: Dynamics of systems of particles, control of chaos,
channels of relaxation. 21 pages, 4 figure
A stiffness-based quality measure for compliant grasps and fixtures
This paper presents a systematic approach to quantifying the effectiveness of compliant grasps and fixtures of an object. The approach is physically motivated and applies to the grasping of two- and three-dimensional objects by any number of fingers. The approach is based on a characterization of the frame-invariant features of a grasp or fixture stiffness matrix. In particular, we define a set of frame-invariant characteristic stiffness parameters, and provide physical and geometric interpretation for these parameters. Using a physically meaningful scheme to make the rotational and translational stiffness parameters comparable, we define a frame-invariant quality measure, which we call the stiffness quality measure. An example of a frictional grasp illustrates the effectiveness of the quality measure. We then consider the optimal grasping of frictionless polygonal objects by three and four fingers. Such frictionless grasps are useful in high-load fixturing applications, and their relative simplicity allows an efficient computation of the globally optimal finger arrangement. We compute the optimal finger arrangement in several examples, and use these examples to discuss properties that characterize the stiffness quality measure
Constructing minimum deflection fixture arrangements using frame invariant norms
This paper describes a fixture planning method that minimizes object deflection under external loads. The method takes into account the natural compliance of the contacting bodies and applies to two-dimensional and three-dimensional quasirigid bodies. The fixturing method is based on a quality measure that characterizes the deflection of a fixtured object in response to unit magnitude wrenches. The object deflection measure is defined in terms of frame-invariant rigid body velocity and wrench norms and is therefore frame invariant. The object deflection measure is applied to the planning of optimal fixture arrangements of polygonal objects. We describe minimum-deflection fixturing algorithms for these objects, and make qualitative observations on the optimal arrangements generated by the algorithms. Concrete examples illustrate the minimum deflection fixturing method. Note to Practitioners-During fixturing, a workpiece needs to not only be stable against external perturbations, but must also stay within a specified tolerance in response to machining or assembly forces. This paper describes a fixture planning approach that minimizes object deflection under applied work loads. The paper describes how to take local material deformation effects into account, using a generic quasirigid contact model. Practical algorithms that compute the optimal fixturing arrangements of polygonal workpieces are described and examples are then presented
Hyperelliptic Jacobians as Billiard Algebra of Pencils of Quadrics: Beyond Poncelet Porisms
The thirty years old programme of Griffiths and Harris of understanding
higher-dimensional analogues of Poncelet-type problems and synthetic approach
to higher genera addition theorems has been settled and completed in this
paper. Starting with the observation of the billiard nature of some classical
constructions and configurations, we construct the billiard algebra, that is a
group structure on the set T of lines in simultaneously tangent to d-1
quadrics from a given confocal family. Using this tool, the related results of
Reid, Donagi and Knoerrer are further developed, realized and simplified. We
derive a fundamental property of T: any two lines from this set can be obtained
from each other by at most d-1 billiard reflections at some quadrics from the
confocal family. We introduce two hierarchies of notions: s-skew lines in T and
s-weak Poncelet trajectories, s = -1,0,...,d-2. The interrelations between
billiard dynamics, linear subspaces of intersections of quadrics and
hyperelliptic Jacobians developed in this paper enabled us to obtain
higher-dimensional and higher-genera generalizations of several classical genus
1 results: the Cayley's theorem, the Weyr's theorem, the Griffiths-Harris
theorem and the Darboux theorem.Comment: 36 pages, 11 figures; to be published in Advances in Mathematic
Relative Convex Hull Determination from Convex Hulls in the Plane
A new algorithm for the determination of the relative convex hull in the
plane of a simple polygon A with respect to another simple polygon B which
contains A, is proposed. The relative convex hull is also known as geodesic
convex hull, and the problem of its determination in the plane is equivalent to
find the shortest curve among all Jordan curves lying in the difference set of
B and A and encircling A. Algorithms solving this problem known from
Computational Geometry are based on the triangulation or similar decomposition
of that difference set. The algorithm presented here does not use such
decomposition, but it supposes that A and B are given as ordered sequences of
vertices. The algorithm is based on convex hull calculations of A and B and of
smaller polygons and polylines, it produces the output list of vertices of the
relative convex hull from the sequence of vertices of the convex hull of A.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, Conference paper published. We corrected two
typing errors in Definition 2: has to be defined based on , and
has to be defined based on (not just using ). These errors
appeared in the text of the original conference paper, which also contained
the pseudocode of an algorithm where and appeared as correctly
define
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