Surprising variants of Cauchy's formula for mean chord length

Abstract

We examine isotropic and anisotropic random walks which begin on the surface of linear ($N$), square ($N \times N$), or cubic ($N \times N \times N$) lattices and end upon encountering the surface again. The mean length of walks is equal to $N$ and the distribution of lengths $n$ generally scales as $n^{-1.5}$ for large $n$. Our results are interesting in the context of an old formula due to Cauchy that the mean length of a chord though a convex body of volume $V$ and surface $S$ is proportional to $V/S$. It has been realized in recent years that Cauchy's formula holds surprisingly even if chords are replaced by irregular insect paths or trajectories of colliding gas molecules. The random walk on a lattice offers a simple and transparent understanding of this result in comparison to other formulations based on Boltzmann's transport equation in continuum.