September 2021 Inscribed rectangles in a smooth Jordan curve attain at least one third of all aspect ratios
Cole Hugelmeyer
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Ann. of Math. (2) 194(2): 497-508 (September 2021). DOI: 10.4007/annals.2021.194.2.3

Abstract

We prove that for every smooth Jordan curve $\gamma$, if $X$ is the set of all $r\in [0,1]$ so that there is an inscribed rectangle in $\gamma$ of aspect ratio $\mathrm{tan}(r\cdot \pi/4)$, then the Lebesgue measure of $X$ is at least $1/3$. To do this, we study sets of disjoint homologically nontrivial projective planes smoothly embedded in $\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R}P^3$. We prove that any such set of projective planes can be equipped with a natural total ordering. We then combine this total ordering with Kemperman's theorem in $S^1$ to prove that $1/3$ is a sharp lower bound on the probability that a Möbius strip filling the $(2,1)$-torus knot in the solid torus times an interval will intersect its rotation by a uniformly random angle.

Citation

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Cole Hugelmeyer. "Inscribed rectangles in a smooth Jordan curve attain at least one third of all aspect ratios." Ann. of Math. (2) 194 (2) 497 - 508, September 2021. https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2021.194.2.3

Information

Published: September 2021
First available in Project Euclid: 21 December 2021

Digital Object Identifier: 10.4007/annals.2021.194.2.3

Subjects:
Primary: 51F99 , 57K40

Keywords: aspect ratio , inscribed rectangles , Jordan curve

Rights: Copyright © 2021 Department of Mathematics, Princeton University

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Vol.194 • No. 2 • September 2021
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