Convex-polytope f-vector unimodality conjecture

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Let PP be a convex dd-polytope with ff-vector

f(P)=(f0,f1,…,fd−1),f(P)=(f_0,f_1,\ldots,f_{d-1}),

where fkf_k is the number of kk-dimensional faces of PP. The unimodality conjecture. For each dd-polytope PP there is an integer ℓ=ℓ(P)\ell=\ell(P) such that

f0≤f1≤ ⋯ ≤fℓ≥ ⋯ ≥fd−2≥fd−1.f_0\le f_1\le\ \cdots\ \le f_{\ell}\ge\ \cdots\ \ge f_{d-2}\ge f_{d-1}.

The conjecture was posed at least twice, by Theodore Motzkin in the late 1950s and by Dominic Welsh in 1972, but the source states that it is disproved, apparently by a construction of Ludwig Danzer presented in 1964. It is therefore not an open conjecture.

References

Primary source

Günter M. Ziegler, “Convex Polytopes: Extremal Constructions and f-Vector Shapes”, arXiv:math/0411400 (2005).

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