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Upper bound for the total curvature of a shortest path in the boundary of a convex polyhedron in $mathbb{R}^3$.

Mathematics Asked by HK Lee on January 27, 2021

Consider finitely many points in
$mathbb{R}^3$. The boundary of the convex hull is $Sigma$. When
$f_i$ is a face and $u_i$ is unit outnormal to $f_i$, then assume
that $$(-u_1)cdot u_i >eta>0$$ for all $i>1$ where $cdot $ is an
inner product. When $P$ is a shortest path in $Sigma -f_1$,

then
the total curvature of $P$ is smaller than $frac{pi}{eta}$.

I need another proof, because the following well-known proof is not easy
: If $P$ contains line segments $[z_iz], [z z_{i+1}]$ in faces
$f_i, f_{i+1}$ where $zin f_ibigcap f_{i+1}$, then we define $$ x_i =frac{z-z_i}{|z-z_i|},
x_{i+1} = frac{z_{i+1}-z}{|z_{i+1} -z|}$$

Similarly, we have any line segments $[overline{z}_iz], [z
overline{z}_{i+1}]$
in faces $f_i, f_{i+1}$ s.t. they are
orthogonal to $f_ibigcap f_{i+1}$. Similarly we have
$overline{x}_i, overline{x}_{i+1}$. Then there is $$ x_i-x_{i+1}
= C_i (overline{x}_i-overline{x}_{i+1} )=lambda_i( u_i + u_{i+1})
$$
where $C_i, lambda_i>0$.

Hence $$ -u_1cdot( x_i-x_{i+1} ) geq lambda_i (2eta ) $$

Hence

begin{align*}
angle
(x_i,x_{i+1}) &leq frac{pi}{2}|x_i-x_{i+1}| \
&=frac{pi}{2} |lambda_i (u_i+u_{i+1}) |
\&leq pi lambda_i
\&leq pifrac{-u_1cdot (
x_i-x_{i+1}) }{2eta } end{align*}

Hence $sum_{i=1}^{n-1} angle(x_i,x_{i+1}) leq frac{pi}{2eta} |u_1cdot (x_1-x_n)| leq frac{pi}{eta}$.

One Answer

Consider the case where $Sigma$ is smooth Riemannian surface in $mathbb{R}^3$ of positive Gaussian curvature, homeomorphic to a sphere. Define a region $D ={ xin Sigma | N(x)cdot v >eta }$ for some $|v|=1$ and $eta>0$ where $N$ is unit out normal to $Sigma$.

Assume that $c:[0,l]rightarrow D$ is a $Sigma$-minimizing geodesic of unit speed in $D$. Hence we have $|w(t)|=1, vperp w(t)$ s.t. $$ N(t)=a(t)w(t) + b(t) v, bgeq eta , a^2+b^2=1$$

If $k$ is a curvature for $c$, then $c''(t)=-k(t)N(t), k>0$. Hence begin{align*} -c''cdot v&=k b geq keta \ int_0^l k(t)dt &leq int frac{-c''cdot v}{eta} dt \&= -frac{1}{eta} c'(t)cdot v bigg|_0^l \&leq frac{2}{eta } end{align*}

Answered by HK Lee on January 27, 2021

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