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Anton Swifton

Publications and source records attributed to Anton Swifton.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Graham's Tree Reconstruction Conjecture and a Waring-Type Problem on Partitions

Suppose $G$ is a tree. Graham's "Tree Reconstruction Conjecture" states that $G$ is uniquely determined by the integer sequence $|G|$, $|L(G)|$, $|L(L(G))|$, $|L(L(L(G)))|$, $\ldots$, where $L(H)$ denotes the line graph of the graph $H$. Little is known about this question apart from a few simple observations. We show that the number of trees on $n$ vertices which can be distinguished by their associated integer sequences is $e^{Ω((\log n)^{3/2})}$. The proof strategy involves constructing a large collection of caterpillar graphs using partitions arising from the Prouhet-Tarry-Escott problem.

math.CO

Throwing a Ball as Far as Possible, Revisited

What initial trajectory angle maximizes the arc length of an ideal projectile? We show the optimal angle, which depends neither on the initial speed nor on the acceleration of gravity, is the solution x to a surprising transcendental equation: csc(x) = coth(csc(x)), i.e., x = arccsc(y) where y is the unique positive fixed point of coth. Numerically, $x \approx 0.9855 \approx 56.47^\circ$. The derivation involves a nice application of differentiation under the integral sign.

math.HO