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Suppose we randomly pick $N$ points inside the unit hypercube in $\mathbb{R}^{N}$. What is the expected value of the volume of the convex hull (in any $\mathbb{R}^{N-1}$ containing the convex hull)?

For example, if $N=2$, we are asking about the average length of a line segment in a unit square. This can be shown to be $\frac{2+\sqrt{2}+ 5\ln(1+\sqrt{2})}{15}\approx 0.521$

Is there a method to compute this expected value in general?

user38495
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1 Answers1

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This problem is answered (in the limit) by

M. E. Dyer, Z. Furedi, and C. McDiarmid. Random volumes in the n-cube. DIMACS Series in Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science 1:33–38, 1990;

and the specific question might well be answered in something that cites this.