Decompositions of a rectangle into non-congruent rectangles of equal area

In this paper, we deal with a simple geometric problem: Is it possible to partition a rectangle into k non-congruent rectangles of equal area? This problem is motivated by the so-called 'Mondrian art problem' that asks a similar question for dissections with rectangles of integer sides. He...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Dalfó, Cristina, Fiol Mora, Miguel Ángel, López Lorenzo, Ignacio, Martínez Pérez, Álvaro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
Repositorio:Repositori Obert UdL
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/71007
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.disc.2021.112389
http://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/71007
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Mondrian problem
Non-congruent rectangles
Dissection
Digraph
Descripción
Sumario:In this paper, we deal with a simple geometric problem: Is it possible to partition a rectangle into k non-congruent rectangles of equal area? This problem is motivated by the so-called 'Mondrian art problem' that asks a similar question for dissections with rectangles of integer sides. Here, we generalize the Mondrian problem by allowing rectangles of real sides. In this case, we show that the minimum value of k for a rectangle to have a 'perfect Mondrian partition' (that is, with non-congruent equal-area rectangles) is seven. Moreover, we prove that such a partition is unique (up to symmetries) and that there exist exactly two proper perfect Mondrian partitions for k=8. Finally, we also prove that any square has a perfect Mondrian decomposition for k >= 7.