Abstract

Let L be a set of n lines in R d, for d ≥ 3. A joint of L is a point incident to at least d lines of L, not all in a common hyperplane. Using a very simple algebraic proof technique, we show that the maximum possible number of joints of L is Θ(n d/(d−1)). For d = 3, this is a considerable simplification of the orignal algebraic proof of Guth and Katz [9], and of the follow-up simpler proof of Elekes et al. [6]. Some extensions, e.g., to the case of joints of algebraic curves, are also presented.

Citations