most recent 30 from http://mathoverflow.net 2013-06-19T09:14:19Z http://mathoverflow.net/feeds/question/46502 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids Tyler Clark 2010-11-18T16:40:25Z 2012-10-09T03:41:17Z

<p>Does anyone know of any good resources for the proof of the number of Archimedean solids (also known as semiregular polyhedra)?</p> <p>I have seen a couple of algebraic discussions but no true proof. Also, I am looking more at trying to prove it topologically, but for now, any resource will help.*</p> <p>*I worked on this project a bit as an undergraduate and am just now getting back into it.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids/46512#46512 Andrey Rekalo 2010-11-18T17:42:23Z 2010-11-18T17:47:57Z

<p>A proof of the enumeration theorem for the Archimedean solids (which basically dates back to Kepler) can be found in the beautiful book <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OJowej1QWpoC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=cromwell+polyhedra&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=R2YEvXquUw&amp;sig=eujgkMXZQRwcRiv9DIimWU7tn90&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=B2TlTM-zNsidOreixYcK&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=4&amp;ved=0CDUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="nofollow"><em>"Polyhedra"</em></a> by P.R. Cromwell (Cambridge University Press 1997, pp. 162-167).</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids/46514#46514 Joseph O'Rourke 2010-11-18T17:59:55Z 2010-11-18T20:29:51Z

<p>Incidentally, you may be interested in the article by Joseph Malkevitch, "Milestones in the history of polyhedra," which appeared in <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shaping-Space-Polyhedral-Approach-scientia/dp/3764333510" rel="nofollow">Shaping Space: A Polyhedral Approach</a></em>, Marjorie Senechal and George Fleck, editors, pages 80-92. Birkhauser, Boston, 1988. There he makes the case (following Grünbaum) that there should be 14 Archimedean solids rather than 13, including the <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elongated_square_gyrobicupola" rel="nofollow">pseudorhombicuboctahedron</a></em>(!) as the 14th. <br /> <img src="http://cs.smith.edu/~orourke/MathOverflow/pseudorhombicuboctahedron.jpg" alt="alt text"></p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids/46518#46518 Matthew Kahle 2010-11-18T18:25:30Z 2010-11-19T16:21:18Z

<p>Following up on Joseph's comment: Branko Grünbaum and others have pointed out that besides the 13 or 14, there are also two infinite families of polyhedra meeting the definition of Archimedean, although generally not considered to be Archimedean. Why prisms and antiprisms are excluded from the list has never been clear to me.</p> <p>In any case, this is not just a historical curiosity --- in any attempt you make to classify them, you should run into these two infinite families.</p> <p>If you use a modern definition, i.e. vertex-transitive, then you will also get 13 others. And a little group theory can help in the classification. If you use a more classical definition, i.e. "locally vertex-regular," you will indeed find a 14th.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids/61477#61477 Vince Matsko 2011-04-12T21:45:13Z 2011-04-12T21:45:13Z

<p>I use a slightly different approach than Cromwell. Please see the Exercises at the end of Chapter 5 here: <a href="http://staff.imsa.edu/~vmatsko/pgsCh1-5.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://staff.imsa.edu/~vmatsko/pgsCh1-5.pdf</a>.</p> <p>This is a draft of a textbook I am writing, and currently using to teach a course on polyhedra. The level of the text is mid-level undergraduate, so strictly speaking, the Exercises are really an outline of a rigorous enumeration. Symmetry considerations are glossed over.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/46502/on-the-number-of-archimedean-solids/109200#109200 YEE Weng Hong 2012-10-09T03:41:17Z 2012-10-09T03:41:17Z

<p>My proof can be found here: ywhmaths.webs.com/Geometry/ArchimedeanSolids.pdf</p>