Abstract
We introduce an infinite class of configurations which we call Desargues–Cayley–Danzer configurations. The term is motivated by the fact that they generalize the classical \((10_3)\) Desargues configuration and Danzer’s \((35_4)\) configuration; moreover, their construction goes back to Cayley. We show that these configurations can be arranged in a triangular array which resembles the classical Pascal triangle also in the sense that it can be recursively generated. As an interesting consequence, we show that all these configurations are connected to incidence theorems, like in the classical case of Desargues. We also show that these configurations can be represented not only by points and lines, but points and circles, too.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
Not every incidence statement involves merely a single incidence in this sense. For example, the author presented a conjecture in [9] which is connected with a \((100_4)\) configuration; the conjecture essentially states that if 350 (suitable) incidences in this configuration are satisfied, then the remaining 50 are also satisfied. (We note that the same \((100_4)\) configuration also occurs in [17], in two different versions.).
- 3.
References
V.E. Adler, Some incidence theorems and integrable discrete equations. Discrete Comput. Geom. 36, 489–498 (2006)
M. Boben, G. Gévay, T. Pisanski, Danzer’s configuration revisited. Adv. Geom. 15, 393–408 (2015)
J. Conway, A. Ryba, The Pascal mysticum demystified. Math. Intelligencer 34, 4–8 (2012)
J. Conway, A. Ryba, Extending the Pascal mysticum. Math. Intelligencer 35, 44–51 (2013)
H.S.M. Coxeter, Self-dual configurations and regular graphs. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 56 (1950), 413–455. Reprinted in: H.S.M. Coxeter, Twelve Geometric Essays, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, 1968, pp. 106–149
H.S.M. Coxeter, Projective Geometry (University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1974)
I. Dolgachev, Abstract configurations in algebraic geometry, in Proceedings Fano Conference, Torino, 2002 ed. by A. Collino, A. Conte, M. Marchisio (University of Torino, 2004), pp. 423–462
G. Gévay, Symmetric configurations and the different levels of their symmetry. Symmetry Cult. Sci. 20, 309–329 (2009)
G. Gévay, Constructions for large spatial point-line \((n_k)\) configurations. Ars Math. Contemp. 7, 175–199 (2014)
G. Gévay, T. Pisanski, Kronecker covers, \(V\)-construction, unit-distance graphs and isometric point-circle configurations. Ars Math. Contemp. 7, 317–336 (2014)
B. Grünbaum, Musings on an example of Danzer’s. European J. Combin. 29, 1910–1918 (2008)
B. Grünbaum, Configurations of Points and Lines, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 103 (American Mathematical Society, Providence, Rhode Island, 2009)
B. Grünbaum, J.F. Rigby, The real configuration \((21_4)\). J. London Math. Soc. 41, 336–346 (1990)
D. Hilbert, S. Cohn-Vossen, Anschauliche Geometrie, Springer, Berlin, 1932 (Szemléletes geometria, Gondolat, Budapest, Hungarian translation, 1982)
L. Klug, Az általános és négy különös Pascal-hatszög configuratiója (The Configuration of the General and Four Special Pascal Hexagons; in Hungarian), Ajtai K. Albert Könyvnyomdája, Kolozsvár, 1898. Reprinted in: L. Klug, Die Configuration Des Pascal’schen Sechseckes Im Allgemeinen Und in Vier Speciellen Fällen (German Edition), Nabu Press, 2010
F. Levi, Geometrische Konfigurationen (Hirzel, Leipzig, 1929)
T. Pisanski, B. Servatius, Configurations from a Graphical Viewpoint, Birkhäuser Advanced Texts Basler Lehrbücher Series (Birkhäuser Boston Inc., Boston, 2013)
D.J.S. Robinson, A Course in the Theory of Groups (Springer-Verlag, New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1995)
B. Servatius, H. Servatius, The generalized Reye configuration. Ars Math. Contemp. 3, 21–27 (2010)
Á. Varga, personal communication (2015)
O. Veblen, J.W. Young, Projective Geometry, vol. 1 (Ginn and Company, Boston, 1910)
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to the (anonymous) reviewers for their helpful comments. Special thanks go to Reviewer #1 for the insightful remarks and valuable suggestions that improved the exposition, results and proofs of this paper. This research is supported by the OTKA grant NN-114614.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this paper
Cite this paper
Gévay, G. (2018). Pascal’s Triangle of Configurations. In: Conder, M., Deza, A., Weiss, A. (eds) Discrete Geometry and Symmetry. GSC 2015. Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics, vol 234. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78434-2_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78434-2_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78433-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78434-2
eBook Packages: Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics (R0)