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1 - Euclidean Space

from I - Regular Polytopes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2020

Peter McMullen
Affiliation:
University College London
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Summary

The main purpose of this chapter is to discuss groups generated by reflexions, concentrating here on the finite and discrete infinite groups in euclidean spaces. While establishing notation and conventions, there are surveys of the algebraic and metrical properties of euclidean spaces, and a treatment of the main features of convex sets that are appealed to subsequently. The classification of the finite and discrete infinite reflexion groups in euclidean spaces is a core feature; the initial part of the treatment is novel. There is then a brief description of subgroup relationships among these groups. Certain angle-sum relations for polytopes and cones are employed to find the orders of the finite Coxeter groups by purely elementary geometric methods; these are established here for polyhedral sets in general. The lower-dimensional spaces are somewhat special. The finite rotation groups in three dimensions are classified, and are shown to be subgroups of reflexion groups. Finally, there is an introduction to quaternions, which provide an alternative approach to finite orthogonal groups in 4-dimensional space; these are needed to describe certain regular polyhedra in that space.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Euclidean Space
  • Peter McMullen, University College London
  • Book: Geometric Regular Polytopes
  • Online publication: 30 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108778992.002
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  • Euclidean Space
  • Peter McMullen, University College London
  • Book: Geometric Regular Polytopes
  • Online publication: 30 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108778992.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Euclidean Space
  • Peter McMullen, University College London
  • Book: Geometric Regular Polytopes
  • Online publication: 30 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108778992.002
Available formats
×