Finite semilattices with many congruences

For an integer $n\geq 2$, let NCSL$(n)$ denote the set of sizes of congruence lattices of $n$-element semilattices. We find the four largest numbers belonging to NCSL$(n)$, provided that $n$ is large enough to ensure that $|$NCSL$(n)|\geq 4$. Furthermore, we describe the $n$-element semilattices witnessing these numbers.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Characterizing circles by a convex combinatorial property

Let $K_0$ be a compact convex subset of the plane $\mathbb R^2$, and assume that $K_1\subseteq \mathbb R^2$ is similar to $K_0$, that is, $K_1$ is the image of $K_0$ with respect to a similarity transformation $\mathbb R^2\to\mathbb R^2$. Kira Adaricheva and Madina Bolat have recently proved that if $K_0$ is a disk and both $K_0$ and $K_1$ are included in a triangle with vertices $A_0$, $A_1$, and $A_2$, then there exist a $j\in \{0,1,2\}$ and a $k\in\{0,1\}$ such that $K_{1-k}$ is included in the convex hull of $K_k\cup(\{A_0,A_1, A_2\}\setminus\{A_j\})$. Here we prove that this property characterizes disks among compact convex subsets of the plane. Actually, we prove even more since we replace "similar" by "isometric" (also called "congruent"). Circles are the boundaries of disks, so our result also gives a characterization of circles.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figure

Finite convex geometries of circles

Let F be a finite set of circles in the plane. We point out that the usual convex closure restricted to F yields a convex geometry, that is, a combinatorial structure introduced by P. H Edelman in 1980 under the name "anti-exchange closure system". We prove that if the circles are collinear and they are arranged in a "concave way", then they determine a convex geometry of convex dimension at most 2, and each finite convex geometry of convex dimension at most 2 can be represented this way. The proof uses some recent results from Lattice Theory, and some of the auxiliary statements on lattices or convex geometries could be of separate interest. The paper is concluded with some open problems.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Quasiplanar diagrams and slim semimodular lattices

A (Hasse) diagram of a finite partially ordered set (poset) P will be called quasiplanar if for any two incomparable elements u and v, either v is on the left of all maximal chains containing u, or v is on the right of all these chains. Every planar diagram is quasiplanar, and P has a quasiplanar diagram iff its order dimension is at most 2. A finite lattice is slim if it is join-generated by the union of two chains. We are interested in diagrams only up to similarity. The main result gives a bijection between the set of the (similarity classes of) finite quasiplanar diagrams and that of the (similarity classes of) planar diagrams of finite, slim, semimodular lattices. This bijection allows one to describe finite posets of order dimension at most 2 by finite, slim, semimodular lattices, and conversely. As a corollary, we obtain that there are exactly (n-2)! quasiplanar diagrams of size n.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

A note on finite lattices with many congruences

By a twenty year old result of Ralph Freese, an $n$-element lattice $L$ has at most $2^{n-1}$ congruences. We prove that if $L$ has less than $2^{n-1}$ congruences, then it has at most $2^{n-2}$ congruences. Also, we describe the $n$-element lattices with exactly $2^{n-2}$ congruences.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Notes on the description of join-distributive lattices by permutations

Let L be a join-distributive lattice with length n and width(Ji L) \leq k. There are two ways to describe L by k-1 permutations acting on an n-element set: a combinatorial way given by P.H. Edelman and R.E. Jamison in 1985 and a recent lattice theoretical way of the second author. We prove that these two approaches are equivalent. Also, we characterize join-distributive lattices by trajectories.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

Representing convex geometries by almost-circles

Finite convex geometries are combinatorial structures. It follows from a recent result of M.\ Richter and L.G.\ Rogers that there is an infinite set $T_{rr}$ of planar convex polygons such that $T_{rr}$ with respect to geometric convex hulls is a locally convex geometry and every finite convex geometry can be represented by restricting the structure of $T_{rr}$ to a finite subset in a natural way. An \emph{almost-circle of accuracy} $1-\epsilon$ is a differentiable convex simple closed curve $S$ in the plane having an inscribed circle of radius $r_1>0$ and a circumscribed circle of radius $r_2$ such that the ratio $r_1/r_2$ is at least $1-\epsilon$. % Motivated by Richter and Rogers' result, we construct a set $T_{new}$ such that (1) $T_{new}$ contains all points of the plane as degenerate singleton circles and all of its non-singleton members are differentiable convex simple closed planar curves; (2) $T_{new}$ with respect to the geometric convex hull operator is a locally convex geometry; (3) as opposed to $T_{rr}$, $T_{new}$ is closed with respect to non-degenerate affine transformations; and (4) for every (small) positive $\epsilon\in\real$ and for every finite convex geometry, there are continuum many pairwise affine-disjoint finite subsets $E$ of $T_{new}$ such that each $E$ consists of almost-circles of accuracy $1-\epsilon$ and the convex geometry in question is represented by restricting the convex hull operator to $E$. The affine-disjointness of $E_1$ and $E_2$ means that, in addition to $E_1\cap E_2=\emptyset$, even $\psi(E_1)$ is disjoint from $E_2$ for every non-degenerate affine transformation $\psi$.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure