Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
List of regular polytopes
This page lists the regular polytopes in Euclidean space.
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Two dimensional regular polytopes
The two dimensional convex regular polytopes are regular polygons.
- The equilateral triangle, with Schläfli symbol {3}
- The square, with Schläfli symbol {4}
- The regular pentagon, with Schläfli symbol {5}
- The regular hexagon, with Schläfli symbol {6}
- The regular heptagon, with Schläfli symbol {7}
- The regular octagon, with Schläfli symbol {8}
- The regular enneagon, with Schläfli symbol {9}
- The regular decagon, with Schläfli symbol {10}
- and so on, ad infinitum.
There exist also non-convex regular polytopes in two dimensions, whose Schläfli symbols consist of rational numbers. An incomplete list of examples is as follows:
- The pentagram (five-pointed star), with Schläfli symbol {5/2}
- Two different types of seven-pointed star, with Schläfli symbols {7/2} and {7/3}
- An eight-pointed star, with Schläfli symbol {8/3}
- Two different types of nine-pointed star, with Schläfli symbols {9/2} and {9/4}
- and so on, ad infinitum.
Three dimensional regular polytopes
In three dimensions, the convex regular polytopes (or polyhedra) are the Platonic solids.
- The tetrahedron, with Schläfli symbol {3,3}, faces are triangles, vertex figures are also triangles.
- The cube, with Schläfli symbol {4,3}, faces are squares, vertex figures are triangles.
- The octahedron, with Schläfli symbol {3,4}, faces are triangles, vertex figures are squares.
- The dodecahedron, with Schläfli symbol {5,3}, faces are pentagons, vertex figures are triangles.
- The icosahedron, with Schläfli symbol {3,5}, faces are triangles, vertex figures are pentagons.
There exist also non-convex regular polyhedra. These are the Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra.
- The great stellated dodecahedron , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,3}, faces are pentagrams, vertex figures are triangles.
- The small stellated dodecahedron , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,5}, faces are pentagrams, vertex figures are pentagons.
- The great icosahedron , with Schläfli symbol {3,5/2}, faces are triangles, vertex figures are pentagrams.
- The great dodecahedron , with Schläfli symbol {5,5/2}, faces are pentagons, vertex figures are pentagrams.
Four dimensional regular polytopes
In four dimensions, the convex regular polytopes are as follows.
- The 4-dimensional simplex, with Schläfli symbol {3,3,3}, faces and vertex figures are tetrahedra.
- The 24-cell, with Schläfli symbol {3,4,3}, faces are octahedra, vertex figures are cubes.
- The 4-dimensional cube, also called a hypercube or tesseract, with Schläfli symbol {4,3,3}, faces are cubes, vertex figures are tetrahedra.
- The 4-dimensional cross-polytope, with Schläfli symbol {3,3,4}, faces are tetrahedra, vertex figures are octahedra.
- The 120-cell, with Schläfli symbol {5,3,3}, faces are dodecahedra, vertex figures are tetrahedra.
- The 600-cell, with Schläfli symbol {3,3,5}, faces are tetrahedra, vertex figures are icosahedra.
There exist also ten non-convex regular polytopes in four dimensions.
- The stellated 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,5,3}
- The great 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5,5/2,5}
- The icosahedral 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {3,5,5/2}
- The great stellated 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,3,5}
- The grand 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5,3,5/2}
- The grand stellated 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,5,5/2}
- The great icosahderal 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {3,5/2,5}
- The great grand 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5,5/2,3}
- The great grand stellated 120-cell , with Schläfli symbol {5/2,3,3}
- The grand 600-cell , with Schläfli symbol {3,3,5/2}
Higher dimensional regular polytopes
In dimensions higher than 4, there are only three kinds of convex regular polytopes.
- n-dimensional simplex, with Schläfli symbol {3,...,3}
- n-dimensional cube, also called a hypercube or tesseract, with Schläfli symbol {4,3,...,3}
- n-dimensional cross-polytope, with Schläfli symbol {3,...,3,4}
There are no non-convex regular polytopes in dimensions higher than 4.
External links
- The Platonic Solids
- Kepler-Poinsot Polyhedra
- 4d Polytope Applet
- Regular 4d Polytope Foldouts
- Multidimensional Glossary (Look up Hexacosichoron and Hecatonicosachoron)
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