OFFSET
2,2
COMMENTS
It has been proved that it is not possible to join the 8 vertices of a cube with a polygonal chain that has fewer than 6 edges (see Links, Optimal cycles enclosing all the nodes of a k-dimensional hypercube, Theorem 2.2). Thus, any circuit of 6 line segments covering all the vertices of a cube has the minimum link-length (by definition).
Here we consider the additional constraint of minimizing the total (Euclidean) length of the minimum-link circuit (which consists of exactly 6 line segments connected at their endpoints) that joins all the vertices of the cube [0,1] X [0,1] X [0,1].
Let x := (1/2)*sqrt((2/3)^(2/3)*((9+sqrt(177)))^(1/3) - 4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3)) + (1/2)*sqrt(4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3) - (2/3)^(2/3)*(9+sqrt(177))^(1/3) + 4*sqrt(2/((2/3)^(2/3)*(9+sqrt(177))^(1/3) - 4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3)))) = 1.597920933550032074764705350780465558827883608091828573735862154752648..., and then let c := 1+(x+2+sqrt(2))/(2*sqrt(2)*(x+sqrt(2))).
A solution to the above-stated problem is provided by the 6-link circuit (1/2, 1/2, 1+x/sqrt(2))-(c,c,0)-(-c,-c,0)-(1/2,1/2, 1+x/sqrt(2))-(-c,c,0)-(c,-c,0)-(1/2, 1/2, 1+x/sqrt(2)).
The total (Euclidean) length of the mentioned circuit is given by 4*((2+sqrt(2)*x)/2)*(1/x+sqrt(1+1/x^2)) = which is about 11.105251123 and this value cannot be beaten by any other 6-link circuit covering all the vertices belonging to the set {0,1} X {0,1} X {0,1}. This result follows by symmetry from the optimal polygonal chain described in the comments of A373537.
LINKS
Matematicamente.it, Problema di minimizzazione con un triangolo rettangolo.
Roberto Rinaldi and Marco Ripà, Optimal cycles enclosing all the nodes of a k-dimensional hypercube, arXiv:2212.11216 [math.CO], 2022.
FORMULA
Equals 2*(2+sqrt(2)*x)*(1/x+sqrt(1+1/x^2)), where x = (1/2)*sqrt((2/3)^(2/3)*((9+sqrt(177)))^(1/3) - 4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3)) + (1/2)*sqrt(4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3) - (2/3)^(2/3)*(9+sqrt(177))^(1/3) + 4*sqrt(2/((2/3)^(2/3)*(9+sqrt(177))^(1/3) - 4*(2/(27+3*sqrt(177)))^(1/3)))) = 1.59792093355003207476470...
EXAMPLE
15.382075121384473497114964794628994098739075869...
PROG
(PARI) my(x=solve(x=1.5, 1.7, 4-8*x^2-4*x^4+x^8)); 2*(sqrt(1 + 1/x^2) + 1/x)*(2 + x*sqrt(2)) \\ Hugo Pfoertner, Jul 01 2024
CROSSREFS
KEYWORD
nonn,cons
AUTHOR
Marco Ripà, Jul 01 2024
STATUS
approved