On a general method for maximizing and minimizing among certain geometric problems

Abstract

Problems concerned with finding inscribing or circumscribing polygons that maximize some measurement are considered such as: Find an area maximizing triangle inscribed in a given convex polygon. Algorithms solving a number of these problems in linear time are presented. They use the common approach of finding an initial solution with respect to a fixed bounding point and then iteratively transforming this solution into a new solution with respect to a new point. The generality of this approach is discussed and several open problems are noted.