Maximal-gap tail closure #
This file formalizes the counting and elementary geometry in Lemma 4.1 of the
project's internal multi-agent proof draft. The argument splits the neighbors of
the maximal-gap vertex at the first counterclockwise neighbor of x + 3:
the head has at most four offsets, while strict edge--diagonal comparison
and same-half-plane two-circle uniqueness leave at most two tail slots (one
under the strict anchor).
Strict cyclic convexity makes the labelled boundary map injective.
Four increasing offsets in one turn form a strict convex quadrilateral.
Every positive offset past the next vertex is in the common open
half-plane of the consecutive centers base, base + 1.
A fixed ordered pair of radii contributes at most one cyclic offset in the open half-plane beyond the next vertex.
A counterclockwise neighbor cannot pass the offset representing the first clockwise neighbor.
The second strict edge--diagonal inequality, obtained by rotating the four cyclic vertices once.
If the anchor from the first center is no longer than the anchor from the next center, strict edge--diagonal comparison reverses that order at a point on the far arc.
With exactly three ranked distances, a strict comparison has only the three ordered radius slots used in the project proof draft.
Maximal-gap tail lemma (project proof-draft Lemma 4.1). Suppose p = x + 1,
u is the first counterclockwise neighbor of x + 3, and z is the first
clockwise neighbor of x. Under the three displayed ladder colors, an
xu = d₁ anchor gives degree at most six, while xu = d₂ gives degree at
most five.
The four vertices x, x+1, u, z used by the tail lemma occur in strict
cyclic order at every maximal-gap degree-seven use site.
If the opposite sides pu,zx have ranks d₁,d₃ and the diagonal
pz has rank d₂, strict ED forces the other diagonal xu into
d₁ ∨ d₂.
The rigid (2,2) ladders supply every hypothesis of the tail lemma and
force xu into one of its two clauses.
The maximal-gap tail lemma closes the whole rigid (2,2) branch.
Session-9 obligation 5/8, discharged by unconditional branch closure.
Session-9 obligation 6/8, discharged by unconditional branch closure.
Session-9 obligation 7/8, discharged by unconditional branch closure.
Session-9 obligation 8/8, discharged by unconditional branch closure.
A path with one left and one right cover has made two strict rank
increases, regardless of their order, so it ends in d₁.
The tail lemma closes the (1,2) shared-tip subcase whose other
terminal edge has color d₂.
Session-11 boundary: after the maximal-gap tail port, only the three
shared-tip colors (1,2)-d₁, (2,1)-d₁, and (2,1)-d₂ remain.