Lines tangent to four triangles in three-dimensional space (Q878381)

The authors investigate the lines tangent to four triangles in \(R^3\). By definition, a line is tangent to a triangle if it meets an edge of the triangle. The problem is to estimate the number of lines tangent to four triangles in \(R^3\). The first statement asserts that there are four disjoint triangles with 62 common tangent lines; the authors gives an explicit representation of that triangles. The second statement says that four triangles in general position admit at most 162 distinct common tangent lines. If the triangles are disjoint than the number in question is at most 156. More generally, four triangles have at most 162 connected components of common tangent lines. If the triangles are disjoint than the number in question is at most 156. Here two tangent lines are viewed to be in the same component if one may continuously move between the two lines while staying tangent to the four triangles. Finally, it is asserted that if four triangles are in (algebraic) general position, then the number of tangents is finite and it is always even.