Advances In Discrete And Computational Geometry

An essential introduction to discrete and computational geometry Discrete geometry is a relatively new development in pure mathematics, while computational geometry is an emerging area in applications-driven computer science. Their intermingling has yielded exciting advances in recent years, yet what has been lacking until now is an undergraduate textbook that bridges the gap between the two. Discrete and Computational Geometry offers a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to this cutting-edge frontier of mathematics and computer science. This book covers traditional topics such as convex hulls, triangulations, and Voronoi diagrams, as well as more recent subjects like pseudotriangulations, curve reconstruction, and locked chains. It also touches on more advanced material, including Dehn invariants, associahedra, quasigeodesics, Morse theory, and the recent resolution of the Poincaré conjecture. Connections to real-world applications are made throughout, and algorithms are presented independently of any programming language. This richly illustrated textbook also features numerous exercises and unsolved problems. The essential introduction to discrete and computational geometry Covers traditional topics as well as new and advanced material Features numerous full-color illustrations, exercises, and unsolved problems Suitable for sophomores in mathematics, computer science, engineering, or physics Rigorous but accessible An online solutions manual is available (for teachers only).

This volume is a collection of refereed expository and research articles in discrete and computational geometry written by leaders in the field. Articles are based on invited talks presented at the AMS-IMS-SIAM Summer Research Conference, ``Discrete and Computational Geometry: Ten Years Later'', held in 1996 at Mt. Holyoke College (So. Hadley, MA). Topics addressed range from tilings, polyhedra, and arrangements to computational topology and visibility problems. Included are papers on the interaction between real algebraic geometry and discrete and computational geometry, as well as on linear programming and geometric discrepancy theory.

Discrete and computational geometry are two fields which in recent years have benefitted from the interaction between mathematics and computer science. The results are applicable in areas such as motion planning, robotics, scene analysis, and computer aided design. The book consists of twelve chapters summarizing the most recent results and methods in discrete and computational geometry. All authors are well-known experts in these fields. They give concise and self-contained surveys of the most efficient combinatorical, probabilistic and topological methods that can be used to design effective geometric algorithms for the applications mentioned above. Most of the methods and results discussed in the book have not appeared in any previously published monograph. In particular, this book contains the first systematic treatment of epsilon-nets, geometric tranversal theory, partitions of Euclidean spaces and a general method for the analysis of randomized geometric algorithms. Apart from mathematicians working in discrete and computational geometry this book will also be of great use to computer scientists and engineers, who would like to learn about the most recent results.

While high-quality books and journals in this field continue to proliferate, none has yet come close to matching the Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry, which in its first edition, quickly became the definitive reference work in its field. But with the rapid growth of the discipline and the many advances made over the past seven years, it's time to bring this standard-setting reference up to date. Editors Jacob E. Goodman and Joseph O'Rourke reassembled their stellar panel of contributors, added manymore, and together thoroughly revised their work to make the most important results and methods, both classic and cutting-edge, accessible in one convenient volume. Now over more then 1500 pages, the Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry, Second Edition once again provides unparalleled, authoritative coverage of theory, methods, and applications. Highlights of the Second Edition: Thirteen new chapters: Five on applications and others on collision detection, nearest neighbors in high-dimensional spaces, curve and surface reconstruction, embeddings of finite metric spaces, polygonal linkages, the discrepancy method, and geometric graph theory Thorough revisions of all remaining chapters Extended coverage of computational geometry software, now comprising two chapters: one on the LEDA and CGAL libraries, the other on additional software Two indices: An Index of Defined Terms and an Index of Cited Authors Greatly expanded bibliographies

This volume contains nineteen survey papers describing the state of current research in discrete and computational geometry as well as a set of open problems presented at the 2006 AMS-IMS-SIAM Summer Research Conference Discrete and Computational Geometry--Twenty Years Later, held in Snowbird, Utah, in June 2006. Topics surveyed include metric graph theory, lattice polytopes, the combinatorial complexity of unions of geometric objects, line and pseudoline arrangements, algorithmic semialgebraic geometry, persistent homology, unfolding polyhedra, pseudo-triangulations, nonlinear computational geometry, $k$-sets, and the computational complexity of convex bodies.

This book is based on a graduate education program on computational discrete mathematics run for several years in Berlin, Germany, as a joint effort of theoretical computer scientists and mathematicians in order to support doctoral students and advanced ongoing education in the field of discrete mathematics and algorithmics. The 12 selected lectures by leading researchers presented in this book provide recent research results and advanced topics in a coherent and consolidated way. Among the areas covered are combinatorics, graph theory, coding theory, discrete and computational geometry, optimization, and algorithmic aspects of algebra.

An emerging field of discrete differential geometry aims at the development of discrete equivalents of notions and methods of classical differential geometry. The latter appears as a limit of a refinement of the discretization. Current interest in discrete differential geometry derives not only from its importance in pure mathematics but also from its applications in computer graphics, theoretical physics, architecture, and numerics. Rather unexpectedly, the very basic structures of discrete differential geometry turn out to be related to the theory of integrable systems. One of the main goals of this book is to reveal this integrable structure of discrete differential geometry. For a given smooth geometry one can suggest many different discretizations. Which one is the best? This book answers this question by providing fundamental discretization principles and applying them to numerous concrete problems. It turns out that intelligent theoretical discretizations are distinguished also by their good performance in applications. The intended audience of this book is threefold. It is a textbook on discrete differential geometry and integrable systems suitable for a one semester graduate course. On the other hand, it is addressed to specialists in geometry and mathematical physics. It reflects the recent progress in discrete differential geometry and contains many original results. The third group of readers at which this book is targeted is formed by specialists in geometry processing, computer graphics, architectural design, numerical simulations, and animation. They may find here answers to the question “How do we discretize differential geometry?” arising in their specific field. Prerequisites for reading this book include standard undergraduate background (calculus and linear algebra). No knowledge of differential geometry is expected, although some familiarity with curves and surfaces can be helpful.