Balancing unit vectors (Q5918028): Difference between revisions

For \(2k+1\) unit vectors \(x_i\) in an arbitrary normed plane \(M^2\) the author confirms the existence of coefficients \(\lambda_1, \dots, \lambda_{2k +1}\in\{-1;1\}\) such that \[ \left\|\sum^{2k+1}_{i=1} \lambda_i x_i\right \|\leq 1, \] and he uses this to prove a result in the spirit of location science: If for distinct points \(p_0,p_1, \dots,p_n\in M^2\) and any \(1\leq i<j\leq n\) the closed angle \(\sphericalangle p_ip_0p_j\) contains a ray opposite to some \(\overset\longrightarrow{p_0p_k}\), then \(x=p_0\) minimizes \[ \sum^n_{i=0}\|x-p_i\|. \] A dynamic version of the first statement is proved, too: For a sequence of unit vectors \(x_1,x_2, \dots\in M^2\) there exist coefficients \(\lambda_1, \lambda_2,\dots \in \{-1;1\}\) such that \[ \left\|\sum^{2k}_{i=1} \lambda_ix_i \right\|\leq 2 \] for all \(k\in N\). As shown, these results are strongly related to a two-player game which is due to J. Spencer (1977).