On models for visualizing four-dimensional figures

DOI10.1007/S00283-016-9699-1MaRDI QIDQ2400832zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Klaus Volkert

Publication date 30 August 2017

Published in The Mathematical Intelligencer (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-016-9699-1

zbMATH Keywords

four-dimensional geometrygeometric modelsgeometryregular polytopeSchlegel diagramvisualisation

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Mathematics and visual arts (00A66) History of mathematics in the 19th century (01A55) History of geometry (51-03)

Review text

Solid figures in three-dimensional space have fascinated mathematicians since the antiquity -- one of the most notably results is the classification of the Platonic solids, the proof of which can be found in Euclid's \textit{Elements}. It was just until the nineteenth century that mathematicians started to study geometric objects in higher-dimensional spaces rigorously, in particular in dimension four. The author describes, in a very pleasant way, the most important moments in this history. The first classification of four-dimensional solid figures was made by the American mathematician \textit{W. J. Stringham} in his doctoral thesis (1879), which was published a year later in the 3rd volume of the American Journal of Mathematics [JFM 12.0405.01]. He proved that there are exactly six regular four-dimensional polytopes. After that, a more general approach was taken by \textit{V. Schlegel} who developed a method for projecting figures in four dimensions to the three-dimensional space [JFM 15.0463.01; JFM 16.0471.01; JFM 18.0453.01]. For instance, the Schlegel diagram of a four-dimensional hypercube consists of a cube with seven cubes inside. These projections allow not just to study its geometric properties but also to construct physical models of them, which are undoubtedly very helpful and furthermore were very popular at the time. Finally, the author explains the contributions of Alicia Boole-Stott in four-dimensional geometry.

Recommendations

• A classical approach to the study of Archimedean four-dimensional polytopes
• Four-dimensional polytopes: Alicia Boole Stott's algorithm
• Alicia Boole Stott, a geometer in higher dimension
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2061774
• Alicia Boole Stott's models of sections of polytopes

Cites work

• Alicia Boole Stott, a geometer in higher dimension
• Coxeter on people and polytopes
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6505017 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 194033 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3075316 (Why is no real title available?)

Cited in

(6)

• A classical approach to the study of Archimedean four-dimensional polytopes
• Double orthogonal projection of four-dimensional objects onto two perpendicular three-dimensional spaces
• A life in polyhedra -- schoolmaster Max Brückner and his models
• The story of the 120-cell.
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2061774 (Why is no real title available?)
• Four-dimensional polytopes: Alicia Boole Stott's algorithm

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