Certain geometric properties of submanifolds of configuration space are numerically investigated for classical phi(4) models in one and two dimensions. Peculiar behaviors of the computed geometric quantities are found only in the two-dimensional case, when a phase transition is present. The observed phenomenology strongly supports, though in an indirect way, a recently proposed topological conj...

A problem is solved or some other goal achieved by “topological methods” if in our arguments we appeal to the “form,” the “shape,” the “global” rather than “local” structure of the object or configuration space associated with the phenomenon we are interested in. This configuration space is typically a manifold or a simplicial complex. The global properties of the configuration space are usuall...

This paper presents the study of the optimized bi-dimensional wood structures, truss type, applying the method of genetic algorithms. Assessment is performed by means of a computer program called OPS (Optimization of Plane Structures). The purpose is to meet the optimum geometric configuration taking into account the volume reduction. Different strategies are considered for the positioning of d...

An important problem in geometric reasoning is to find the configuration of a collection of geometric bodies so as to satisfy a set of given constraints. Recently, it has been suggested that this problem can be solved efficiently by symbolically reasoning about geometry using a degrees of freedom analysis. The approach employs a set of specialized routines called plan fragments that specify how...

Many methods have been developed for structural size and configuration optimization in which cross-sectional areas are usually assumed to be continuous. In most practical structural engineering design problems, however, the design variables are discrete. This paper proposes two efficient structural optimization methods based on the harmony search (HS) heuristic algorithm that treat both discret...

For a given linear compressor, the geometric configuration of the PTR (pulse tube refrigerator) affects the dynamic behavior of the linear compressor as well as the cooling performance of the PTR. The geometric configuration of each component precisely determines the flow impedance which contains the flow resistance, the inertance effect, and the compliance effect. In this paper, several simula...

An (nk) configuration is a collection of points and straight lines, usually in the Euclidean plane, so that each point lies on k lines and each line passes through k points; such a configuration will be called symmetric if it possesses non-trivial geometric symmetry. Although examples of symmetric (n3) configurations with continuous parameters are known, to this point, all known connected infin...