Remarks on the geometry of coordinate projections in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) (Q1885536)

This paper contains a variety of applications of an inequality established in an earlier paper [Invent. Math. 152, 37--55 (2003; Zbl 1039.60016)]. That inequality relates the entropy of a set of functions to a quantity called the {shattering dimension}. If \(D\) is a convex body of dimension \(n\), then its {volume ratio} vr\((D)\) is defined by vr\((D):= (\text{vol}D/\text{vol}E)^{1/n}\), where \(E\) is the ellipsoid of maximal volume inscribed in \(D\). The authors show that there are absolute constants \(C\) and \(c\) such that if vr\((D) \geq A^{-1}\sqrt{n}\) (i.e., close to the maximal value attained by a cube) then there exists a projection \(P\) of rank \(k\) such that \(k \geq cn/\log A\) and the Banach-Mazur distance \(d(P(D), k\text{-cube}) \leq CA\). The second application compares the type 2 and infratype 2 constants for a Banach space; the third compares the shattering dimension of a set to that of its convex hull; and the fourth deals with almost isometric coordinate projections.