Two-distance preserving functions from Euclidean space (Q5932655): Difference between revisions

A function \(f: E^n \rightarrow E^m \) is said to be unit distance preserving if for all \(p,q \in E^n\) \[ \|p-q\|=1 \Longrightarrow \|f(p)-f(q)\|=1; \] \(f\) is a congruence if it is an (Euclidean) isometry, i.e., \[ \|f(p)-f(q)\|=\|p-q\| \] for all \(p,q\). In 1953 \textit{F. S. Beckmann} and \textit{D. A. Quarles jun.} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 4, 810-815 (1953; Zbl 0052.18204)] proved that for \(n \geq 2\) every unit distance preserving function \(f: E^n \rightarrow E^n\) is a congruence. On the other hand, in 1985 \textit{B. V. Dekster} [Arch. Math. 45, 282-283 (1985; Zbl 0558.57007)] found a function \(f: E^2 \rightarrow E^6\) which is unit distance preserving but is not a congruence. In 1986 \textit{F. Radó, D. Andreescu} and \textit{D. Válcan} [Prepr. Babes-Bolyai Univ. Fac. Math. Res. Semin. 1986, No. 10, 9-22 (1986; Zbl 0627.51015)] proved the following theorem: If \(n \geq 2\), \( 0 < c < s\), \( 0 < {c \over s} \leq {1 \over \sqrt 3}\), and \(f: E^n \rightarrow E^m\) satisfies \[ \|p-q\|=c \Longrightarrow \|f(p)-f(q)\|\leq c \] and \[ \|p-q\|=s \Longrightarrow \|f(p)-f(q)\|\geq s \] for all \(p,q \in E^n\), then \(f\) is a congruence. The authors improved the constant \({1 \over \sqrt 3}\) in that theorem to the golden ratio \({(\sqrt 5 - 1) \over 2}\). As a consequence they obtained the following corollary: If \(n \geq 2\) and a function \(f: E^n \rightarrow E^m\) preserves distances \(c\) and \(s\), where \(0 < {c \over s} < {(\sqrt 5 - 1) \over 2}\), then \(f\) is a congruence. Let us mention that in some sense related results can be found in papers of \textit{A. Tyszka} [Am. Math. Mon. 104, 757-761 (1997; Zbl 0890.51013) and Aequationes Math. 59, 124-133 (2000; Zbl 0948.51014)].