On Properties of a Regular Simplex Inscribed into a Ball

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties of a regular simplex inscribed in a Euclidean ball, focusing on the norms of associated interpolation projectors and proposing a geometric conjecture related to minimal norms.

Contribution

It characterizes the points where the norm of the regular simplex interpolation projector attains its maximum and formulates a conjecture linking this norm to minimal interpolation projector norms, proven for dimensions 1 to 4.

Findings

Identified points in the ball where the projector norm is maximized.

Formulated a geometric conjecture relating maximal projector norm to minimal norm.

Proved the conjecture for dimensions 1 through 4.

Abstract

Let $B$ be a Euclidean ball in ${\mathbb R}^n$ and let $C(B)$ be a space of~continuous functions $f:B\to{\mathbb R}$ with the uniform norm $\|f\|_{C(B)}:=\max_{x\in B}|f(x)|.$ By $\Pi_1\left({\mathbb R}^n\right)$ we mean a set of polynomials of degree $\leq 1$, i.e., a set of linear functions upon ${\mathbb R}^n$. The interpolation projector $P:C(B)\to \Pi_1({\mathbb R}^n)$ with the nodes $x^{(j)}\in B$ is defined by the equalities $Pf\left(x^{(j)}\right)= f\left(x^{(j)}\right)$, $j=1,$ $\ldots,$ $ n+1$. The norm of $P$ as an operator from $C(B)$ to $C(B)$ can be calculated by the formula $\|P\|_B=\max_{x\in B}\sum |\lambda_j(x)|.$ Here $\lambda_j$ are the basic Lagrange polynomials corresponding to the $n$-dimensional nondegenerate simplex $S$ with the vertices $x^{(j)}$. Let $P^\prime$ be a projector having the nodes in the vertices \linebreak of a regular simplex inscribed into the ball. We describe the points $y\in B$ with the property $\|P^\prime\|_B=\sum |\lambda_j(y)|$. Also we formulate a geometric conjecture which implies that $\|P^\prime\|_B$ is equal to the minimal norm of an interpolation projector with nodes in $B$. We prove that this conjecture holds true at least for $n=1,2,3,4$. Keywords: regular simplex, ball, linear interpolation, projector, norm