Infinite Packings of Disks

Abstract

Let U be the closed disk in the plane, centred at the origin, and of unit radius. By a solid packing, or briefly a packing, C of U we shall understand a sequence ﹛Dn﹜, n = 1, 2, … , of open proper disjoint subdisks of U, such that the plane Lebesgue measures of U and of are the same. If rn is the radius of Dn and the complex number cn represents its centre, then the conditions for C to be a packing areIt was proved by Mergelyan (3) that for any packing the sum of the radii diverges:1Mergelyan's demonstration of (1) is somewhat involved and leans heavily on the machinery of functions of a complex variable. An elegant direct proof of (1) is given by Wesler (5), who uses the technique of projecting the boundaries of the disks of the packing on a diameter I of U.