Solution of Scott's problem on the number of directions determined by a point set in 3-space (Q2464369): Difference between revisions

Inspired by a problem of Erdős on different distances determined by point sets in the plane, \textit{P. R. Scott} studied [Am. Math. Mon. 77, 502--505 (1970; Zbl 0192.57603)] the minimum number \(k_2(n)\) of different directions assumed by \(n\) non-collinear points in the plane. Moreover, he also gave bounds for the analogously defined number \(k_3(n)\) regarding points in Euclidean 3-space, not all in a common plane. The \(2\)-dimensional case was finally solved by \textit{P.~Ungar} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 33, 343--347 (1982; Zbl 0496.05001)], he showed that \(k_2(n)=2\lfloor n/2\rfloor\). In the paper under review the 3-dimensional case for odd \(n\) is settled by showing that \(k_3(n)=2\,n-5\). In the even case the authors give the bound \(k_3(n)\geq 2\,n-7\). These bounds follow from a significantly stronger result on so called convergent segments which is based on an interesting ``bipartite'' variant of Ungar's theorem in the paper mentioned above.