Quasi-Isometry Invariance of Group Splittings over Coarse Poincar\'e Duality Groups

We show that if $G$ is a group of type $FP_{n+1}^{\mathbb{Z}_2}$ that is coarsely separated into three essential, coarse disjoint, coarse complementary components by a coarse $PD_n^{\mathbb{Z}_2}$ space $W,$ then $W$ is at finite Hausdorff distance from a subgroup $H$ of $G$; moreover, $G$ splits over a subgroup commensurable to a subgroup of $H$. We use this to deduce that splittings of the form $G=A*_HB$, where $G$ is of type $FP_{n+1}^{\mathbb{Z}_2}$ and $H$ is a coarse $PD_n^{\mathbb{Z}_2}$ group such that both $|\mathrm{Comm}_A(H): H|$ and $|\mathrm{Comm}_B(H): H|$ are greater than two, are invariant under quasi-isometry.Comment: 46 page

The Role of Promotion in the Book Publishing Process

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Quasi-isometry classification of RAAGs that split over cyclic subgroups

For a one-ended right-angled Artin group, we give an explicit description of its JSJ tree of cylinders over infinite cyclic subgroups in terms of its defining graph. This is then used to classify certain right-angled Artin groups up to quasi-isometry. In particular, we show that if two right-angled Artin groups are quasi-isometric, then their JSJ trees of cylinders are weakly equivalent. Although the converse to this is not generally true, we define quasi-isometry invariants known as stretch factors that can distinguish quasi-isometry classes of RAAGs with weakly equivalence JSJ trees of cylinders. We then show that for many right-angled Artin groups, being weakly equivalent and having matching stretch factors is a complete quasi-isometry invariant.Comment: 49 pages, 12 figures. The class of dovetail RAAGs is introduced and the main theorem is reformulated in terms of such RAAGs. Accepted by Groups, Geometry, and Dynamic

The Small Number System

I argue that the human mind includes an innate domain-specific system for representing precise small numerical quantities. This theory contrasts with object-tracking theories and with domain-general theories that only make use of mental models. I argue that there is a good amount of evidence for innate representations of small numerical quantities and that such a domain-specific system has explanatory advantages when infants’ poor working memory is taken into account. I also show that the mental models approach requires previously unnoticed domain-specific structure and consequently that there is no domain-general alternative to an innate domain-specific small number system