Flexible polyhedra and their volumes (Q1620840)

Let \(P\) be a polyhedron in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), that is, an \((n-1)\)-dimensional oriented closed polyhedral surface. A \textit{flexion} of \(P\) is a continuous deformation \(f\) of \(P\) such that \(P\) and \(f(P)\) have the same combinatorial type, each face of \(P\) is congruent to its image under \(f\), yet \(P\) and \(f(P)\) are not themselves congruent. Call \(P\) \textit{flexible} if there is a flexion of \(P\). In this article, the author discusses results surrounding three-dimensional polyhedra, primarily those that are simplicial. Special attention is given to the bellows conjecture, which states that flexors, i.e. embedded flexible three-dimensional polyhedra, have constant volume during flexion. In fact, this conjecture can be extended to any flexible polyhedron in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) or in non-Euclidean spaces by considering the generalized oriented volume. The author discusses a proof of the conjecture in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and a counterexample to the conjecture in the open hemisphere. The conjecture is still open for even-dimensional Lobachevsky spaces. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1396.00017].