Packing-constrained point coverings

Abstract

In the packing-constrained point covering problem, PC^2, one seeks configurations of points in the plane that cannot all be covered by a packing arrangement of unit disks. We consider in particular the problem of finding the minimum number of points N for which such a configuration exists and obtain the bounds 11 <= N <= 55. The disparity of these bounds is symptomatic, we believe, of the fact that PC^2 belongs in a higher complexity class than the standard packing and covering problems.

8 pages, 4 figures