A generalization of the convex Kakeya problem (Q486985)

The Kakeya problem is related to finding the smallest area in which a normalized linear segment can be freely rotated. This problem can be generalized to use a set of line segments and this set does not have to be finite. The problem is known as the generalized Kakeya problem. In this paper, it is shown that there is always an optimal triangular region as the smallest area for a set of \(n\) lines in the generalized Kakeya problem and an optimal algorithm of its computation is presented. Its computation time is \(O(n \log n)\). Moreover, in the paper, it is also shown that, if the goal is to minimize the perimeter of the region instead of its area, then placing the segments with their midpoint at the origin and taking their convex hull results in an optimal solution. Finally, it is shown that for any compact convex figure \(G\), the smallest enclosing disc of \(G\) is a smallest-perimeter region containing a translate of every rotated copy of \(G\).