Coverage of a sphere by random open hemispheres
ID: coverage-of-a-sphere-by-random-open-hemispheres
The probability that independent uniformly oriented open hemispheres cover a sphere is the displayed quantity. Coverage fails exactly when their normals lie in a closed hemisphere. With probability one, no three normals are coplanar and no pair is antipodal; a closed hemisphere containing the normals can then be perturbed into an open one. Condition on the unoriented axes of the normals. Their orientation signs remain independent fair bits, and the regions of a general-position great-circle arrangement realize exactly of the possible sign vectors. Each such vector corresponds to normals that fit into one open hemisphere, proving the complementary probability. The argument counts equiprobable orientation choices, not equal-area regions.
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