Turn list of edges into a polygon function

Question

I have a list of coordinates that define the edges of a polygon and I would like to get a function defining the area Inside out if it (The polygon is convex and the points are in order)

So that for example: List[{0, 2}, {4, 2}, {.5, 0}]

Becomes: Boole[(y < 2 && 7y > 4x-3 && Y > 2-4x)]

I found the Polygon function to accept lists but I don't know how to turn it into a function. I guess there is some easy way to do that as it's a quite common thing but I fail to find it.

Answer 1

When your points are in order then you could probably create a linear function for each point-pair. In this linear equation you replace the Equal by LessEqual to get not the points on the line but all points on the left side too.

The next creates exactly this closed half-plane by using the two-point form of a line

halfplane[{{x0_, y0_}, {x1_, y1_}}] := (y - y0) (x1 - x0) <= (y1 - y0) (x - x0)

What follows is, that you create pairs of your points and for each pair you calculate an in-equation. The region that fulfills all those in-equation should be your polygon. Note, that you have to Append the first point again at the end of your list to create the final, closing line.

createFunc[data_] := 
 And @@ Map[halfplane, Partition[Append[#, First[#]] &@data, 2, 1]]

data = {{0, 2}, {4, 2}, {.5, 0}};

RegionPlot[createFunc[data], {x, -1, 5}, {y, -1, 3}, 
 AspectRatio -> Automatic]

Your function for this is

$$4 (y-2)\leq 0\land -3.5 (y-2)\leq -2 (x-4)\land -0.5 y\leq 2 (x-0.5)$$

which gives True for all points inside your polygon. Compare this to the display of the polygon created by your points

Graphics[Polygon[data], Frame -> True]