Platonic solid: Difference between revisions
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In [[geometry]], a convex polyhedron bounded by faces which are all the same-sized regular [[polygon]] is known as a '''Platonic solid'''. There are only five Platonic solids, shown in the table below: | In [[geometry]], a convex polyhedron bounded by faces which are all the same-sized regular [[polygon]] is known as a '''Platonic solid'''. There are only five Platonic solids, shown in the table below: | ||
Revision as of 22:39, 14 October 2008
In geometry, a convex polyhedron bounded by faces which are all the same-sized regular polygon is known as a Platonic solid. There are only five Platonic solids, shown in the table below:
number of faces |
name | type of face | volume | surface area |
properties | image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | regular tetrahedron (or regular triangular pyramid) |
equilateral triangle | 4 vertices, 6 edges, self-dual | |||
6 | cube | square | 8 vertices, 12 edges, dual to octahedron | |||
8 | regular octahedron | equilateral triangle | 6 vertices, 12 edges, dual to cube | |||
12 | regular dodecahedron | regular pentagon | 20 vertices, 30 edges, dual to icosahedron | |||
20 | regular icosahedron | equilateral triangle | 12 vertices, 30 edges, dual to dodecahedron |
Proving that there are only 5 Platonic solids is rather easy: From the definition, the faces must be regular polygons which can meet three or more at a point with some excess angle, to create a solid angle. Any regular polygon with 7 or more sides cannot meet three or more to a point without overlapping. The regular hexagon can meet three at a point, but with no excess, thus no solid angle is formed. That leaves the regular pentagon, the square, and the equilateral triangle as the only possible faces for a Platonic solid. The regular pentagon and the square can only meet three at a point and have any excess to allow forming a solid angle. The Platonic solids thus formed are the dodecahedron and the cube. The equilateral triangle can meet three, four, or five at a point and form a solid angle; the figures formed are the tetrahedron, octahedron, and icosahedron, respectively.