The product of the distances of a point inside a regular polytope to its vertices (Q884670)

The authors consider the product of distances \(F=PP_1\cdot PP_2\cdot\dots \cdot PP_k\) from a variable point \(P\) to given fixed points \(P_1, P_2, \dots, P_k\) in the Euclidean space \(E^n\). If \(P\) is constrained to vary over the convex hull of points \(P_1, P_2, \dots, P_k\), then the maximum of \(F\) is attained only at relative interior points of edges of the convex hull [see \textit{B. Schwarz}, Isr. J. Math. 3, 29--38 (1965; Zbl 0147.22102)]. Actually the authors examine the problem and find the maximum for some concret polyhedra in \(E^n\). 1. If \(P_1\), \(P_2\), \dots, \(P_{n+1}\) are the vertices of the regular simplex \(S\) in \(E^n\) and \(P\) varies over \(S\), then the maximum of \(F\) is proved to be equal to \(\frac{(\sqrt{3})^{n-1}}{2^{n+1}}\), if \(2\leq n\leq 7\), and \(\frac{ 2(n-1)^{(n-1)/2}}{(n+1)^{(n+1)/2}}\), if \(n\geq 8\). For \(2\leq n\leq 7\) the maximum is attained at the midpoint of an edge of \(S\). For \(n\geq 8\) the maximum is attained at two particular symmetrically placed points on an edge of \(S\). 2. If \(P_1, P_2,\dots, P_{2n}\) are the vertices of a regular cross-polytope \(K\) in \(E^n\) and \(P\) varies over \(K\), then the maximum of \(F\) is attained at the midpoint of an edge of \(K\), if \(2\leq n\leq 4\), and at two particular symmetrically placed points on an edge of \(K\), if \(n\geq 5\). The same holds for the \(n\)-dimensional cube. 3. If \(P_1\), \(P_2,\dots,P_{k}\) are the vertices of a regular \(k\)-gon \(M\) in \(E^2\), and \(P\) varies inside or on \(M\), then the maximum of \(F\) is attained at the midpoint of an edge of \(M\). 4. If \(P_1\), \(P_2\), \(P_3\) are the vertices of a general triangle \(T\) in \(E^2\), and \(P\) varies inside or on \(T\), then the function \(F\) has generically two critical saddle points inside \(T\).