Largest Inscribed Rectangles in Geometric Convex Sets

Abstract: This paper considers the problem of finding maximum volume (axis-aligned) inscribed boxes in a compact convex set, defined by a finite number of convex inequalities, and presents optimization and geometric approaches for solving them. Several optimization models are developed that can be easily generalized to find other inscribed geometric shapes such as triangles, rhombi, and squares. To find the largest axis-aligned inscribed rectangles in the higher dimensions, an interior-point method algorithm is presented and analyzed. For 2-dimensional space, a parametrized optimization approach is developed to find the largest (axis-aligned) inscribed rectangles in convex sets. The optimization approach provides a uniform framework for solving a wide variety of relevant problems. Finally, two computational geometric $(1-\varepsilon)$--approximation algorithms with sub-linear running times are presented that improve the previous results.