A
weaving W is a simple arrangement of lines (or line segments) in the plane together with a binary relation specifying which line is

above

the other. A system of lines (or line segments) in 3-space is called a
realization of
W, if its projection into the plane is
W and the

above-below

relations between the lines respect the specifications. Two weavings are equivalent if the underlying arrangements of lines are combinatorially equivalent and the

above-below

relations are the same. An equivalence class of weavings is said to be a
weaving pattern. A weaving pattern is
realizable if at least one element of the equivalence class has a three-dimensional realization. A weaving (pattern)
W is called
perfect if, along each line (line segment) of
W, the lines intersecting it are alternately

above

and

below.

We prove that (i) a perfect weaving pattern of
n lines is realizable if and only if
n 
3, (ii) a perfect m by
n weaving pattern of line segments (in a grid-like fashion) is realizable if and only if min(
m, n)

3, (iii) if
n is sufficiently large, then almost all weaving patterns of
n lines are nonrealizable.
Key words Line weavings - Lines in space
Communicated by Takao Asano.
Jànos Pach has been supported in part by Hungarian NFSR Grant 1812, NSF Grant CCR-8901484, and the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, under NSF Grant STC88-09648. Richard Pollack has been supported in part by NSA Grant MDA904-89-H-2030, NSF Grants DMS-85-01947 and CCR-8901484, and DIMACS. Emo Welzl has been supported in part by the ESPRIT II Basic Research Actions Program of the EC under Contract No. 3075 (project ALCOM) and DIMACS.