Kobon triangle problem

Unsolved problem in mathematics: How many non-overlapping triangles can be formed in an arrangement of k lines? (more unsolved problems in mathematics)

The Kobon triangle problem is an unsolved problem in combinatorial geometry first stated by Kobon Fujimura. The problem asks for the largest number N(k) of nonoverlapping triangles whose sides lie on an arrangement of k lines. Variations of the problem consider the projective plane rather than the Euclidean plane, and require that the triangles not be crossed by any other lines of the arrangement.^[1]

Saburo Tamura proved that the largest integer not exceeding k(k − 2)/3 provides an upper bound on the maximal number of nonoverlapping triangles realizable by k lines.^[2] In 2007, a tighter upper bound was found by Johannes Bader and Gilles Clément, by proving that Tamura's upper bound couldn't be reached for any k congruent to 0 or 2 (mod 6).^[3] The maximum number of triangles is therefore one less than Tamura's bound in these cases. Perfect solutions (Kobon triangle solutions yielding the maximum number of triangles) are known for k = 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15 and 17.^[4] For k = 10, 11 and 12, the best solutions known reach a number of triangles one less than the upper bound.

Given a perfect solution with k₀ lines, other Kobon triangle solution numbers can be found for all k_i-values where

$k_{n+1} = 2\cdot k_{n} - 1,\!\,$

by using the procedure by D. Forge and J. L. Ramirez Alfonsin.^[1][5] For example, the solution for k₀ = 3 leads to the maximal number of nonoverlapping triangles for k = 3,5,9,17,33,65,...

k	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	OEIS
Tamura's upper bound on N(k)	1	2	5	8	11	16	21	26	33	40	47	56	65	74	85	96	107	120	133	A032765
Clément and Bader's upper bound	1	2	5	7	11	15	21	26	33	39	47	55	65	74	85	95	107	119	133	-
best known solution	1	2	5	7	11	15	21	25	32	38	47	53	65	72	85	93	104	115	130	A006066

Examples

• 

  3 straight lines result in one triangle

• 

  4 straight lines

• 

  5 straight lines

• 

  6 straight lines

• 

  7 straight lines

References

1. Forge, D.; Ramírez Alfonsín, J. L. (1998), "Straight line arrangements in the real projective plane", Discrete and Computational Geometry 20 (2): 155–161, doi:10.1007/PL00009373.
2. Weisstein, Eric W., "Kobon Triangle", MathWorld.
3. G. Clément and J. Bader. Tighter Upper Bound for the Number of Kobon Triangles. Draft Version, 2007.
4. Ed Pegg Jr. on Math Games
5. "Matlab code illustrating the procedure of D. Forge and J. L. Ramirez Alfonsin", Retrieved on 9 May 2012.

External links

• Johannes Bader, "Kobon Triangles"