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Conference rusure::math

Title:Mathematics at DEC
Moderator:RUSURE::EDP
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2083
Total number of notes:14613

1639.0. "Coloring points in a square" by TRACE::GILBERT (Ownership Obligates) Fri Jul 10 1992 14:20

(a) The points of a unit square (interior and edge) have one of two colors.
    Prove that two similarly-colored points are at distance >= sqrt(5/4) apart.
    
(b) If the points of a unit square are colored with one of n colors,
    two similarly-colored points must be at least L(n) apart.  Prove that:

    	L(2) = sqrt(5/4)	(as in part (a))
    	L(3) = sqrt(65/64)
    	L(4) = sqrt(1/2)
    	L(5) = sqrt(1/2) (surprise!)
    
(c) It's easy to show that L(6) <= sqrt(13/36), and L(n�) <= sqrt(2/n�).
    Are these equalities?

(d) What are L(6), L(7), L(8), and L(9)?
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1639.1Is there some missing information?UNTADC::TOWERSTue Jul 14 1992 04:5713
    This doesn't make sense to me.
    
    >The points of a unit square (interior and edge) have one of two colors.
    >Prove that two similarly-colored points are at distance >= sqrt(5/4) apart.
    
    I take the first sentence to mean that for each of the points (x,y)
    where 0 <= x,y <= 1, I can choose one of two colours.
    
    Well, OK. I choose (�,�) and (�,�) to be red and all other points to be
    blue. Then the two red points are a distance of � apart and the
    distance between any two blue points varies between 0 and sqrt(2).
    
    Brian
1639.2BEING::EDPAlways mount a scratch monkey.Tue Jul 14 1992 09:488
    Re .1:
    
    Prove that no matter how somebody else colors the points of a square,
    you can find two similarly-colored points that are a distance greater
    than or equal to sqrt(5/4) apart.
    
    
    				-- edp
1639.3GUESS::DERAMODan D&#039;Eramo, zfc::deramoTue Jul 14 1992 10:1723
        part (a)
        
        Consider the corners and the midpoints of the edges.
        The distance between a corner and the midpoint of a
        nonadjacent edge is sqrt(5/4).
        
        	D  Y  C
        
        	Z     X
        	
        	A  W  B
        
        Let the two colors be red and blue.
        
        Arbitraily let A be red.  Then X and Y are sqrt(5/4) from
        A, so they must be blue, otherwise {A,X} or {A,Y} is a
        "monochromatic distant pair" :-).  Now B is sqrt(5/4)
        from Y so it must be red, and D is sqrt(5/4) from X so it
        must be red; otherwise either {B,Y} or {D,X} is a
        monochromatic distant pair.  But now B and D are sqrt(2)
        > sqrt(5/4) apart and are both red.  QED.
        
        Dan