Algebra versus analysis in the theory of flexible polyhedra

DOI10.1007/S00010-010-0024-3MaRDI QIDQ623399zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Victor Alexandrov

Publication date 14 February 2011

Published in Aequationes Mathematicae (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0902.0186

zbMATH Keywords

volumeinfinitesimal bendingtotal mean curvatureflexible polyhedronalgebraic function

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Polyhedra and polytopes; regular figures, division of spaces (51M20) Rigidity and flexibility of structures (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C25)

Abstract: Two basic theorems of the theory of flexible polyhedra were proven by completely different methods: R. Alexander used analysis, namely, the Stokes theorem, to prove that the total mean curvature remains constant during the flex, while I.Kh. Sabitov used algebra, namely, the theory of resultants, to prove that the oriented volume remains constant during the flex. We show that none of these methods can be used to prove the both theorems. As a by-product, we prove that the total mean curvature of any polyhedron in the Euclidean 3-space is not an algebraic function of its edge lengths.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3678719 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3613366 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1221762 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1166258 (Why is no real title available?)
• Flexible cross-polytopes in the Euclidean 4-space
• Flexible octahedra in the hyperbolic space
• Lipschitzian Mappings and Total Mean Curvature of Polyhedral Surfaces. I
• The Bellows conjecture
• The Schläfli formula for polyhedra and piecewise smooth hypersurfaces.
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Cited in

(5)

• Sabitov polynomials for volumes of polyhedra in four dimensions
• Elimination of parasitic solutions in the theory of flexible polyhedra
• Sufficient conditions for the extendibility of an \(n\)-th order flex of polyhedra
• Necessary conditions for the extendibility of a first-order flex of a polyhedron to its flex
• Equivalent classes of degree sequences for triangulated polyhedra and their convex realization

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