Does the Borsuk-Ulam theorem extend to non-antipodal points

algebraic-topologygeneral-topology

Is the following generalization of the Borsuk-Ulam theorem true?

For any continuous map $f: S^2 \rightarrow {\mathbb R}^2$ and $d \in {\mathbb R}$ with $0 < d \leq 2$, there exist points $x, y \in S^2$ a distance $d$ apart such that $f(x) = f(y)$.

This becomes the Borsuk-Ulam theorem when $d=2$, the diameter of the unit sphere, because then $x$ and $y$ are antipodal. I suspect it is false, but I couldn't think of a counterexample. For example, its true for the orthographic projection of $S^2$ down onto the plane because points $d$ away from each other on opposite sides of the equator get mapped to the same point. I haven't had success finding an answer online.

This came about when I was talking with someone about the corollary of the Borsuk-Ulam theorem that there are always two antipodal points on Earth with the same temperature and pressure (assuming the Earth is a sphere and temperature and pressure vary continuously). When pressed, I realized I couldn't explain what makes antipodal points special other than that it makes the proof work (I was looking at the proof in Hatcher's Algebraic Topology, pg. 33). But it's not clear to me a priori that this generalization couldn't be true by some modified argument. So the question becomes are there always points on Earth a distance $d$ from each other that have the same temperature and pressure?

Best Answer

Yes, such a generalization holds. Moreover, it was proven by Hopf in

Hopf, Heinz, Eine Verallgemeinerung bekannter Abbildungs- und Überdeckungssätze, Port. Math. 4, 129-139 (1944). ZBL0060.40612.

that for every continuous map $f: S^n\to \mathbb R^n$ and every $\alpha\in [0,\pi]$ there exists a pair of points $x, y\in S^n$ at the angular distance $\alpha$ such that $f(x)=f(y)$. Hopf's paper is hard to access, but the result is a consequence of the main theorem in

Liu, Yuhong, On a property of functions on the sphere and its application, Nonlinear Anal., Theory Methods Appl., Ser. A, Theory Methods 73, No. 10, 3376-3381 (2010). ZBL1202.55001.

which is accessible. It might be a good student project to write a modern proof of Hopf's result.

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