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A convex body with a false centre is an ellipsoid

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2010

P. W. Aitchison
Affiliation:
The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
C. M. Petty
Affiliation:
The University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, U.S.A.
C. A. Rogers
Affiliation:
University College, London, U.K.
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Extract

If K is a set in n-dimensional Euclidean space En, n ≥ 2, with a non-empty interior, then a point p of the interior of K is called a pseudo centre of K provided each two-dimensional flat through p intersects K in a section centrally symmetric about some point, not necessarily coinciding with p. A pseudo centre p of K is called a false centre if K is not centrally symmetric about p. Rogers [5] showed that a convex body (compact convex set with interior points) with a pseudo centre necessarily has a true centre of symmetry. But, as each interior point of an ellipsoid is a pseudo centre, the true centre need not necessarily coincide with the pseudo centre. Rogers conjectured that, for n ≥ 3, a convex body K with a false centre is necessarily an ellipsoid. In this paper we prove this conjecture.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © University College London 1971

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References

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