On the sum of intervals

Local theory of Banach spaces (46B07) Geometry and structure of normed linear spaces (46B20) Convex sets in (n) dimensions (including convex hypersurfaces) (52A20) Approximation by convex sets (52A27)

Review text

This paper deals with the problem of approximating a Euclidean ball in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) with a Minkowski sum of \(N\) segments. Recall that the Minkowski sum of two sets \(A, B \subset \mathbb{R}^n\) is defined as \(A + B = \left \{ a + b ; a \in A, b \in B \right \}\). The author estimates the minimal number \(d(n,N)\) such that it is possible to find a set \(V \subset \mathbb{R}^n\), which is a Minkowski sum of \(N\) segments, and for which \[ D \subset V \subset d(n,N) D \] where \(D\) is the standard Euclidean ball in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). Precise estimates are given for \(d(n,N)\), for all values of \(n\) and \(N\). It is proved that if \(N \geq n\), \[ \frac{1}{C} \min \left \{ \sqrt{n}, \sqrt{\frac{N}{N-n} \log \frac{N}{N-n} } \right \} < d(n,N) < C \min \left \{ \sqrt{n}, \sqrt{\frac{N}{N-n} \log \frac{N}{N-n} } \right \} \] for some universal constant \(C > 0\). The proof of the upper bound is probabilistic, and is almost entirely based on earlier results of the author [Math. USSR, Sb. 48, 173-182 (1984; Zbl 0558.46013)] and \textit{A. Y. Garnaev} and \textit{E. D. Gluskin} [Sov. Math., Dokl. 30, 200-204 (1984); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 277, 1048-1052 (1984; Zbl 0588.41022)]. The proof of the lower bound is a simple and elegant argument, which uses nothing but some basic notions and tools from the general theory of Banach spaces. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1009.00019].

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