Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2008
We solve two problems on convex bodies stated on p. 38 of S. M. Ulam's book, A collection of mathematical problems (New York, 1960).
Problem 1. This problem is due to Mazur. In three-dimensional Euclidean space there is given a convex surface W and a point O in its interior. Consider the set V of all points P defined by the requirement that the length of the interval OP is equal to the area of the plane section of W through O and perpendicular to OP. Is the (centrally symmetric) set V a convex surface?
† See, for example, Eggleston, H. G., Convexity (Cambridge, 1958), p. 32, Ex. 1·11. Such a point is called a regular point.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
† As will be seen, here and below in Theorem 5, the conclusion is true if the second derivative is uniformly bounded; the proof is very similar to that given.