Decompositions of a polygon into centrally symmetric pieces

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Abstract: In this paper we deal with edge-to-edge, irreducible decompositions of a centrally symmetric convex (2k)-gon into centrally symmetric convex pieces. We prove an upper bound on the number of these decompositions for any value of k, and characterize them for octagons.


The paper under review deals with centrally symmetric convex polygons and their particular dissections called irreducible edge-to-edge decompositions, see [\textit{À.G. Horvath}, Bolyai Soc. Math. Stud. 6, 327--334 (1997; Zbl 0886.52007)]. The authors address the question how much combinatorially different irreducible edge-to-edge decompositions may admit an arbitrarily given centrally symmetric convex polygon. For the case of hexagons the answer was obtained earlier by Horváth: it turns out that, up to combinatorial equivalence, there are exactly six irreducible edge-to-edge decompositions of an arbitrary centrally symmetric hexagon. Generalizing this statement, the following theorem is proved. Theorem. Let \(P\) be an arbitrary centrally symmetric \(2k\)-gon, \(k\geq 4\). Then the number of the combinatorial classes of the irreducible edge-to-edge decomposition of \(P\) into centrally symmetric parts is at most \(\frac{6N(4N+1)!}{N!(3N+3)!}\), where \(N=\left[\frac{2k^3(2k-3)^2}{(2-\sqrt{2})\pi^2}\right]\). The authors pay particular attention to the case of \(k=4\) and describe a list of \(111\) combinatorially different irreducible edge-to-edge decompositions of centrally symmetric convex octagons. Moreover, it is shown that this list is exhaustive in the sense that any irreducible edge-to-edge decomposition of an arbitrary centrally symmetric convex octagon is combinatorially equivalent to one of 111 decompositions presented in the list.











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