preprint

Inserted: 24 sep 2024

Year: 2024

Abstract:

A definable choice is a semialgebraic selection of one point in every fiber of the projection of a semialgebraic set. Definable choices exist by semialgebraic triviality, but their complexity depends exponentially on the number of variables. By allowing the selection to be approximate (in the Hausdorff sense), we quantitatively improve this result. In particular, we construct an approximate selection with degree that is linear in the complexity of the original set, and independent on the number of variables. This work is motivated by infinite-dimensional applications, in particular to the Sard conjecture in sub-Riemannian geometry. To prove these results, we develop a general quantitative theory for Hausdorff approximations in semialgebraic geometry, which has independent interest.