On some points-and-lines problems and configurations

We apply an old method for constructing points-and-lines configurations in the plane to study some recent questions in incidence geometry.Comment: 14 pages, numerous figures of point-and-line configurations; to appear in the Bezdek-50 special issue of Periodica Mathematica Hungaric

Finite height lamination spaces for surfaces

We describe spaces of essential finite height (measured) laminations in a surface $S$ using a parameter space we call $\mathbb S$, an ordered semi-ring. We show that for every finite height essential lamination $L$ in $S$, there is an action of $\pi_1(S)$ on an $\mathbb S$-tree dual to the lift of $L$ to the universal cover of $S$

Transversals in a collections of trees

Let $\mathcal{S}$ be a fixed family of graphs on vertex set $V$ and $\mathcal{G}$ be a collection of elements in $\mathcal{S}$. We investigated the transversal problem of finding the maximum value of $|\mathcal{G}|$ when $\mathcal{G}$ contains no rainbow elements in $\mathcal{S}$. Specifically, we determine the exact values when $\mathcal{S}$ is a family of stars or a family of trees of the same order $n$ with $n$ dividing $|V|$. Further, all the extremal cases for $\mathcal{G}$ are characterized.Comment: 16pages,2figure

Red-blue clique partitions and (1-1)-transversals

Motivated by the problem of Gallai on $(1-1)$-transversals of $2$-intervals, it was proved by the authors in 1969 that if the edges of a complete graph $K$ are colored with red and blue (both colors can appear on an edge) so that there is no monochromatic induced $C_4$ and $C_5$ then the vertices of $K$ can be partitioned into a red and a blue clique. Aharoni, Berger, Chudnovsky and Ziani recently strengthened this by showing that it is enough to assume that there is no induced monochromatic $C_4$ and there is no induced $C_5$ in {\em one of the colors}. Here this is strengthened further, it is enough to assume that there is no monochromatic induced $C_4$ and there is no $K_5$ on which both color classes induce a $C_5$. We also answer a question of Kaiser and Rabinovich, giving an example of six $2$-convex sets in the plane such that any three intersect but there is no $(1-1)$-transversal for them