Curvature extrema and four-vertex theorems for polygons and polyhedra

Abstract

Discrete analogs of extrema of curvature and generalizations of the four-vertex theorem to the case of polygons and polyhedra are suggested and developed. For smooth curves and polygonal lines in the plane, a formula relating the number of extrema of curvature to the winding numbers of the curves (polygonal lines) and their evolutes is obtained. Also are considered higher-dimensional analogs of the four-vertex theorem for regular and shellable triangulations.