Applications of outwardly simple line families to plane convex sets

Abstract

We use the concept of outwardly simple line families (see Hammer and Sobczyk (4)) first to obtain conditions involving mid-chords that ensure that a plane convex set is centro-symmetric, and secondly to show that it is possible to inscribe a semicircle of diameter ω in any convex set of minimal width ω in at least 3 different ways. We show that a plane convex set X is centro-symmetric if every mid-chord of X (that is every chord of X mid-way between two parallel lines of support of X) bisects the area of X, or alternatively if every mid-chord of X is a diameter of X (that is a longest chord in some direction). Hammer and Smith (3) have used outwardly simple line families in a different way to show that a plane convex set X is centro-symmetric if every diameter of X bisects the area of X, or if every diameter of X bisects the perimeter of X.