Uniform properties of collections of convex bodies (Q2276758)

In studies of the geometry of normed spaces, the notions of uniform rotundity, uniform smoothness, and uniform nonsquareness of the unit ball have proved to be important. These notions are here extended to a normal family \(\mathcal K\) of convex bodies, and they are characterized in terms of closure properties of certain spaces of finite-dimensional sections or projections of the members of \(\mathcal K\). The extended definitions facilitate the use of the uniform notions in studying packings, coverings, and tilings by convex bodies. The characterizations make it possible, in arguments using the uniform notions, to replace clever epsilontics by routine compactness arguments. Such a replacement played a role in the authors' earlier study of tilings [see Fundam. Math. 126, 269--290 (1986; Zbl 0617.52003)] and it seems probable that the machinery developed here will be useful in other settings as well.