A role of lower semicontinuous functions in the combinatorial complexity of geometric problems (Q1179028)

The combinatorial complexity of a geometric structure (for example the number of faces of a convex polytope) usually depends on whether degeneracies occur among its defining objects. The paper treats the question: When do non-degeneracies lead to a maximal combinatorial complexity? It is shown as a sufficient condition that the function measuring the complexity be lower semicontinuous. The condition is satisfied, for example, for the number of components of an arrangement of Jordan curves in the plane.