AMS 345/CSE 355 (Spring, 2006) Joe Mitchell

COMPUTATIONAL GEOMETRY
Homework Set # 3

Due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, March 1, 2006.

Recommended Reading: O’Rourke, Chapter 2 (sections 2.1–2.4).
Reminder: In all of the exercises, be sure to give at least a brief explanation or justification
for each claim that you make.

(1). [20 points] Give an example of a monotone simple polygon for which the set of directions with
respect to which it is monotone consists of at least two distinct “double cones” of directions. More
precisely, show a simple polygon P that is monotone with respect to the x-axis and also monotone
with respect to the y-axis, but not monotone with respect to the line y = x and also not monotone
with respect to the line y = −x. 1
(Optional question to provoke thought: For an n-gon, what is the maximum number (in terms
of n) of double cones of directions of monotonicity? I know that it can grow like Ω(n), but can you
get a tight exact bound?)
(2). [21 points]
(a). Give an example of a polygon P that is star-shaped (g(P ) = 1) but not monotone.
(b). Given an example of a polygon P that is monotone (and show a direction d with respect
to which it is monotone) but not star-shaped (so g(P ) > 1).
(c). Let P be a monotone mountain with guard number 2 (g(P ) = 2). True or false: There
exists a pair of guards, g1 and g2 , such that g1 and g2 see all of P , and g1 sees g2 . (i.e., g1 and g2
form a “guard network”)
(HINT: Suppose that P is a monotone mountain that is x-monotone, consisting of a base
segment, ab, that is the lower chain, and an x-monotone upper chain. Now, if a point g in P
sees the region V P (g) inside P , I claim that any point, g 0 , in P that lies directly below g (same x-
coordinate, smaller y-coordinate) sees a region V P (g 0 ) that is larger than V P (g): V P (g 0 ) ⊇ V P (g).
Prove this claim and this will help you understand the answer to 2c.)
(3). [15 points] For the monotone mountains shown below, show the (unique) triangulation that
is given by the algorithm we presented in class for triangulating monotone mountains (in which we
always choose the highest strictly convex vertex (other than the endpoints of the base) to be the
ear tip). (Use a ruler or straightedge; some of the points are nearly colinear! Larger images are on
the web site.)
1
Review of definitions: Let d be a “direction” – we can think of d as an angle, or as a point on the unit circle
centered at the origin. A polygon P is monotone with respect to direction d if any line ` that is orthogonal to d
(makes a right angle to a line whose direction is d) intersects P either in the empty set (i.e., has no intersection with
P ), or in a single point (a vertex of P ) or in a single line segment. Note that if P is monotone with respect to d, then
it is monotone with respect to the opposite of d (which we can write as d + 180, thinking of d as an angle, in degrees).
Consider two directions, d1 and d2 , with d2 counterclockwise of d1 (d2 > d1 ) by an angle d2 − d1 < 180. (If d2 is ccw
of the positive x-axis by 10 degrees, and d1 is at 300 degrees, then we consider d2 to be 370 degrees.) We say that a
direction d is between d1 and d2 if d is ccw from d1 and d2 is ccw from d. A double cone of directions specified by d1
and d2 is the interval of directions between d1 and d2 and those directions between d1 + 180 and d2 + 180.
(4). [14 points] Give an example of a simple polygon P having an even number (at least 6) of
vertices, but for which it is impossible to partition P using diagonals into convex quadrilaterals
(4-sided polygons).
(5). [30 points] For each of the simple polygons P below, do the following:
(a). Show the decomposition into monotone polygons given by the algorithm of Section 2.2.
Show the resulting diagonals in RED.
(b). Show the decomposition into monotone mountains given by the algorithm of Section 2.3.
Show the resulting diagonals in BLUE. (You may use a separate copy from the picture for (a).)
(c). Show the complete triangulation given by the triangulation algorithm of Section 2.3 (based
on the monotone mountain partition). Show the diagonals in GREEN that partition each monotone
mountain into triangles. Label the diagonals in the order that they are discovered by the algorithm
(Algorithm 2.2, page 53).

Polygon P1
Polygon P2

NOTE: In order to assist you in making drawings of the polygons, I enclose a page of multiple
copies of the polygons, which you are free to cut up and paste onto your homework paper. The
course web site also includes much larger images of the polygons, if you wish to print and use those.
 Polygon P1
Polygon P2

Polygon P1
Polygon P2

Polygon P1
Polygon P2

Polygon P1
Polygon P2