*On Foams with Convex Cells Each Containing a Unit Ball*

Karoly Bezdek
Computational & Discrete Geometry Professor
Centre for Computational & Discrete Geometry Pure Mathematics
University of Calgary


Wednesdayday, February 22, 2011
4:30 - 5:30 PM
Y2E2, Room 101


Abstract:

We raise and investigate the following problem:
If the Euclidean 3-space is partitioned into convex cells each containing a unit ball, how should the shapes of the cells be designed to minimize the average surface area of the cells?
This problem leads to a strong version of the Kepler conjecture on densest sphere packings as well as to a new relative of Kelvin foam problem. The talk is of a survey-type.



Operations Research Colloquia: http://or.stanford.edu/oras_seminars.html