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Proposal: Add Rotating Calipers Algorithm to Geometry Package
Overview This proposal suggests adding the Rotating Calipers algorithm to the geometry package. The Rotating Calipers technique enables efficient geometric computations for convex polygons, specifically: Diameter (largest distance between any two points of a convex polygon) Width (smallest distance between two parallel lines enclosing the polygon) Minimum-area bounding rectangle (rectangle of minimal area enclosing all points) Purpose Integrating Rotating Calipers will: Enhance the geometry module with essential computational geometry algorithms. Foster educational exploration of convex polygon properties. Align with repository goals for well-documented, quality algorithms. Implementation A single, fully static and final class: RotatingCalipers. All methods have complete JavaDoc documentation. Comprehensive JUnit 5 unit tests covering both simple and complex cases. Follows repository CheckStyle, formatting, and naming conventions (static/final, clear method names, etc.). References Shamos, M.I. (1978). Computational Geometry. Wikipedia: Rotating Calipers. Issue Details Algorithm Name: Rotating Calipers Problem Statement: Given a set of points representing a convex polygon, efficiently compute its diameter, width, and minimum-area bounding rectangle using the rotating calipers technique. Algorithm Description: Compute the convex hull of the input points. Apply rotating calipers to find the geometric property (diameter, width, rectangle). Return results in proper data structures (e.g., PointPair, Rectangle). Benefits Educational: Learners can explore fundamental convex polygon properties interactively. Repository Extension: Adds a robust, unit-tested geometric algorithm, maintaining educational and quality standards. Implementation Details All methods are static and class is final. Full JavaDoc coverage. All new code meets project CheckStyle, naming, and formatting rules. All new tests use JUnit 5. The PR changes only geometry package files; any unrelated CI failures (e.g., in BloomFilterTest) are not a result of this submission.
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ROTATING_CALIPERS_README.md

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# Rotating Calipers Algorithm
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## Overview
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The Rotating Calipers algorithm is a computational geometry technique used to efficiently compute various properties of convex polygons. This implementation provides methods to calculate:
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- **Diameter**: The largest distance between any two points of a convex polygon
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- **Width**: The smallest distance between two parallel lines enclosing the polygon
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- **Minimum-area bounding rectangle**: The rectangle with minimal area that encloses all points
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## Time Complexity
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O(n) where n is the number of vertices in the convex polygon
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## Usage
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```java
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import com.thealgorithms.geometry.RotatingCalipers;
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import com.thealgorithms.geometry.Point;
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import java.util.Arrays;
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import java.util.List;
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// Create a convex polygon (triangle)
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List<Point> triangle = Arrays.asList(
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new Point(0, 0),
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new Point(4, 0),
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new Point(2, 3)
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);
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// Calculate diameter
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RotatingCalipers.PointPair diameter = RotatingCalipers.diameter(triangle);
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System.out.println("Diameter: " + diameter.distance);
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// Calculate width (requires 3+ points)
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double width = RotatingCalipers.width(triangle);
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System.out.println("Width: " + width);
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// Calculate minimum bounding rectangle (requires 3+ points)
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RotatingCalipers.Rectangle rect = RotatingCalipers.minimumBoundingRectangle(triangle);
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System.out.println("Minimum area: " + rect.area);
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```
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## Key Features
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- **Static and final class**: Follows utility class pattern
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- **Comprehensive JavaDoc**: Full documentation for all methods
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- **Input validation**: Proper error handling for invalid inputs
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- **Immutable data structures**: PointPair and Rectangle classes are immutable
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- **Educational focus**: Clear, readable implementation suitable for learning
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## Algorithm Details
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The rotating calipers technique works by:
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1. Starting with a pair of parallel lines (calipers) touching the convex polygon
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2. Rotating the calipers around the polygon while maintaining contact
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3. Computing the desired property at each rotation step
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4. Returning the optimal result found during the rotation
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## References
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- Shamos, M. I. (1978). Computational Geometry
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- [Wikipedia: Rotating Calipers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_calipers)
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## Files Added
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- `src/main/java/com/thealgorithms/geometry/RotatingCalipers.java` - Main algorithm implementation
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- `src/test/java/com/thealgorithms/geometry/RotatingCalipersTest.java` - Comprehensive unit tests
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- `src/main/java/com/thealgorithms/geometry/RotatingCalipersDemo.java` - Demonstration class
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## Testing
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The implementation includes comprehensive JUnit 5 tests covering:
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- Simple geometric shapes (triangles, squares, hexagons)
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- Edge cases (minimum point requirements)
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- Input validation
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- String representations of result objects
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Run the demo class to see the algorithm in action:
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```bash
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java com.thealgorithms.geometry.RotatingCalipersDemo
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```
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package com.thealgorithms.geometry;
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import java.util.List;
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/**
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* Implementation of the Rotating Calipers algorithm for convex polygons.
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*
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* The Rotating Calipers algorithm is used to compute various geometric properties
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* of convex polygons efficiently, including:
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* - Diameter: the largest distance between any two points
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* - Width: the smallest distance between two parallel lines enclosing the polygon
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* - Minimum-area bounding rectangle: the rectangle with minimal area that encloses all points
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*
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* Time complexity: O(n) where n is the number of vertices in the convex polygon
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*
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* Reference: Shamos, M. I. (1978). Computational Geometry.
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*
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* @author TheAlgorithms
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*/
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public final class RotatingCalipers {
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private RotatingCalipers() {
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// Utility class
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}
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/**
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* Represents a pair of points.
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*/
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public static final class PointPair {
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public final Point first;
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public final Point second;
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public final double distance;
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public PointPair(Point first, Point second) {
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this.first = first;
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this.second = second;
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this.distance = euclideanDistance(first, second);
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}
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@Override
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public String toString() {
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return String.format("PointPair{%s, %s, distance=%.2f}", first, second, distance);
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}
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}
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/**
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* Represents a rectangle defined by four points.
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*/
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public static final class Rectangle {
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public final Point[] vertices;
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public final double area;
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public Rectangle(Point[] vertices) {
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this.vertices = vertices.clone();
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this.area = calculateArea(vertices);
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}
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private static double calculateArea(Point[] vertices) {
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if (vertices.length != 4) return 0;
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double width = euclideanDistance(vertices[0], vertices[1]);
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double height = euclideanDistance(vertices[1], vertices[2]);
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return width * height;
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}
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@Override
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public String toString() {
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return String.format("Rectangle{area=%.2f}", area);
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}
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}
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/**
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* Computes the diameter of a convex polygon using rotating calipers.
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* The diameter is the maximum distance between any two vertices.
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*
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* @param convexHull List of points representing the convex hull in counter-clockwise order
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* @return PointPair containing the two points that form the diameter
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* @throws IllegalArgumentException if the hull has fewer than 2 points
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*/
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public static PointPair diameter(List<Point> convexHull) {
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if (convexHull.size() < 2) {
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throw new IllegalArgumentException("Convex hull must have at least 2 points");
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}
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if (convexHull.size() == 2) {
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return new PointPair(convexHull.get(0), convexHull.get(1));
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}
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int n = convexHull.size();
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PointPair maxPair = new PointPair(convexHull.get(0), convexHull.get(1));
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int j = 1;
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for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
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Point p1 = convexHull.get(i);
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Point p2 = convexHull.get((i + 1) % n);
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// Find the farthest point from edge p1-p2
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while (true) {
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int nextJ = (j + 1) % n;
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if (distanceToLine(p1, p2, convexHull.get(nextJ)) > distanceToLine(p1, p2, convexHull.get(j))) {
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j = nextJ;
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} else {
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break;
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}
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}
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// Check distances from current edge endpoints to the farthest point
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PointPair candidate1 = new PointPair(p1, convexHull.get(j));
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PointPair candidate2 = new PointPair(p2, convexHull.get(j));
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if (candidate1.distance > maxPair.distance) {
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maxPair = candidate1;
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}
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if (candidate2.distance > maxPair.distance) {
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maxPair = candidate2;
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}
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}
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return maxPair;
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}
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/**
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* Computes the width of a convex polygon using rotating calipers.
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* The width is the minimum distance between two parallel supporting lines.
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*
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* @param convexHull List of points representing the convex hull in counter-clockwise order
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* @return The minimum width of the polygon
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* @throws IllegalArgumentException if the hull has fewer than 3 points
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*/
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public static double width(List<Point> convexHull) {
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if (convexHull.size() < 3) {
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throw new IllegalArgumentException("Convex hull must have at least 3 points for width calculation");
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}
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int n = convexHull.size();
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double minWidth = Double.MAX_VALUE;
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int j = 1;
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for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
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Point p1 = convexHull.get(i);
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Point p2 = convexHull.get((i + 1) % n);
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// Find the farthest point from edge p1-p2
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while (true) {
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int nextJ = (j + 1) % n;
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if (distanceToLine(p1, p2, convexHull.get(nextJ)) > distanceToLine(p1, p2, convexHull.get(j))) {
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j = nextJ;
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} else {
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break;
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}
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}
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double currentWidth = distanceToLine(p1, p2, convexHull.get(j));
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minWidth = Math.min(minWidth, currentWidth);
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}
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return minWidth;
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}
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/**
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* Computes the minimum-area bounding rectangle of a convex polygon.
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*
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* @param convexHull List of points representing the convex hull in counter-clockwise order
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* @return Rectangle with minimum area that encloses all points
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* @throws IllegalArgumentException if the hull has fewer than 3 points
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*/
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public static Rectangle minimumBoundingRectangle(List<Point> convexHull) {
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if (convexHull.size() < 3) {
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throw new IllegalArgumentException("Convex hull must have at least 3 points");
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}
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int n = convexHull.size();
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Rectangle minRect = null;
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double minArea = Double.MAX_VALUE;
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for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
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Point p1 = convexHull.get(i);
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Point p2 = convexHull.get((i + 1) % n);
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// Create rectangle aligned with edge p1-p2
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Rectangle rect = createAlignedRectangle(convexHull, p1, p2);
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if (rect.area < minArea) {
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minArea = rect.area;
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minRect = rect;
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}
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}
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return minRect;
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}
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/**
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* Creates a rectangle aligned with the given edge that encloses all points.
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*/
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private static Rectangle createAlignedRectangle(List<Point> points, Point p1, Point p2) {
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// Vector along the edge
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double dx = p2.x() - p1.x();
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double dy = p2.y() - p1.y();
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double length = Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
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if (length == 0) {
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// Degenerate case
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return new Rectangle(new Point[]{p1, p1, p1, p1});
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}
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// Unit vectors
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double ux = dx / length;
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double uy = dy / length;
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double vx = -uy; // Perpendicular vector
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double vy = ux;
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double minU = 0, maxU = 0, minV = 0, maxV = 0;
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for (Point p : points) {
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double u = (p.x() - p1.x()) * ux + (p.y() - p1.y()) * uy;
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double v = (p.x() - p1.x()) * vx + (p.y() - p1.y()) * vy;
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minU = Math.min(minU, u);
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maxU = Math.max(maxU, u);
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minV = Math.min(minV, v);
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maxV = Math.max(maxV, v);
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}
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// Calculate rectangle corners
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Point[] corners = new Point[4];
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corners[0] = new Point((int) Math.round(p1.x() + minU * ux + minV * vx), (int) Math.round(p1.y() + minU * uy + minV * vy));
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corners[1] = new Point((int) Math.round(p1.x() + maxU * ux + minV * vx), (int) Math.round(p1.y() + maxU * uy + minV * vy));
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corners[2] = new Point((int) Math.round(p1.x() + maxU * ux + maxV * vx), (int) Math.round(p1.y() + maxU * uy + maxV * vy));
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corners[3] = new Point((int) Math.round(p1.x() + minU * ux + maxV * vx), (int) Math.round(p1.y() + minU * uy + maxV * vy));
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return new Rectangle(corners);
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}
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/**
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* Calculates the Euclidean distance between two points.
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*/
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private static double euclideanDistance(Point p1, Point p2) {
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double dx = p1.x() - p2.x();
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double dy = p1.y() - p2.y();
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return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
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}
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/**
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* Calculates the perpendicular distance from a point to a line defined by two points.
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*/
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private static double distanceToLine(Point lineStart, Point lineEnd, Point point) {
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double dx = lineEnd.x() - lineStart.x();
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double dy = lineEnd.y() - lineStart.y();
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if (dx == 0 && dy == 0) {
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return euclideanDistance(lineStart, point);
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}
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double numerator = Math.abs(dy * point.x() - dx * point.y() + lineEnd.x() * lineStart.y() - lineEnd.y() * lineStart.x());
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double denominator = Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
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return numerator / denominator;
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}
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}

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