A Random-Line-Graph Approach to Overlapping Line Segments

Abstract

We study graphs that are formed by independently positioned needles (i.e. line segments) in the unit square. To mathematically characterize the graph structure, we derive the probability that two line segments intersect and determine related quantities such as the distribution of intersections, given a certain number of line segments $N$. We interpret intersections between line segments as nodes and connections between them as edges in a spatial network that we refer to as random-line graph (RLG). Using methods from the study of random-geometric graphs, we show that the probability of RLGs to be connected undergoes a sharp transition if the number of lines exceeds a threshold $N^*$.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2020
Source ID
10.1093/comnet/cnaa029

Entities

People

  • Lucas Böttcher

Organizations

  • Army Research Office

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Mathematics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Polymer Science and Technology