The ring R of real-exponent polynomials in n variables over any field has global dimension n+1 and flat dimension n. In particular, the residue field k = R/m of R modulo its maximal graded ideal m has flat dimension n via a Koszul-like resolution. Pr
ojective and flat resolutions of all R-modules are constructed from this resolution of k. The same results hold when R is replaced by the monoid algebra for the positive cone of any subgroup of $mathbb{R}^n$ satisfying a mild density condition.
We say that a pure $d$-dimensional simplicial complex $Delta$ on $n$ vertices is shelling completable if $Delta$ can be realized as the initial sequence of some shelling of $Delta_{n-1}^{(d)}$, the $d$-skeleton of the $(n-1)$-dimensional simplex. A w
ell-known conjecture of Simon posits that any shellable complex is shelling completable. In this note we prove that vertex decomposable complexes are shelling completable. In fact we show that if $Delta$ is a vertex decomposable complex then there exists an ordering of its ground set $V$ such that adding the revlex smallest missing $(d+1)$-subset of $V$ results in a complex that is again vertex decomposable. We explore applications to matroids, shifted complexes, as well as $k$-vertex decomposable complexes. We also show that if $Delta$ is a $d$-dimensional complex on at most $d+3$ vertices then the notions of shellable, vertex decomposable, shelling completable, and extendably shellable are all equivalent.
