Extremal problems for geometric probabilities involving convex bodies

Abstract

The theory of geometric probabilities is concerned with randomly generated geometric objects. The aim is to compute probabilities of certain geometric events or distributions of random variables defined in a geometric way. Very often the computation even of simple expectations is too difficult, and one has to be satisfied with establishing estimates and, if possible, sharp inequalities. In geometric probabilities, convex sets play a prominent role, since often the convexity assumptions simplify the situation considerably. Extremal problems for geometric probabilities involving convex bodies can sometimes be attacked successfully by using suitable integral-geometric transformations and then applying classical inequalities from the geometry of convex bodies, or known methods for obtaining such inequalities. Examples of such results are the topic of this paper.