Platonic solids

E36442

Platonic solids are the five highly symmetrical, convex polyhedra (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron) that have identical regular polygonal faces and are fundamental in geometry and classical philosophy.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf class of polyhedra
geometric solids
mathematical concept
areAll convex regular polyhedra
edge-transitive polyhedra
examples of regular maps on the sphere
face-transitive polyhedra
finite polyhedra
isogonal polyhedra
isohedral polyhedra
isotoxal polyhedra
vertex-transitive polyhedra
areContrastedWith Archimedean solids
Kepler–Poinsot polyhedra
areSubsetOf convex polyhedra
regular polyhedra
associatedWith Plato
classificationCriterion regularity of faces and vertices
describedIn Book XIII of Euclid's Elements
Euclid's Elements
dualPair Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
surface form: cube–octahedron

Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
surface form: dodecahedron–icosahedron

tetrahedron–tetrahedron
edgeProperty same number of faces meet at each edge
existIn three-dimensional Euclidean space
faceType congruent regular polygons
hasMember cube
dodecahedron
Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
surface form: icosahedron

octahedron
tetrahedron
hasProperty convex
highly symmetrical
regular polyhedra
haveDualityProperty each has a dual Platonic solid
haveHistoricalOrigin ancient Greek mathematics
numberOfElements 5
philosophicalRole linked to classical elements in Platonism
studiedBy Euclid
symmetryGroupType finite rotation groups
topology homeomorphic to the sphere
uniquenessProperty only five convex regular polyhedra exist in 3D Euclidean space
usedIn architecture
art
chemistry
classical philosophy
crystallography
geometry
group theory
vertexProperty same number of faces meet at each vertex

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Plato hasPhilosophicalConcept Platonic solids
Felix Klein notableWork Platonic solids
this entity surface form: Lectures on the Icosahedron
Platonic solids hasMember Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: icosahedron
Platonic solids dualPair Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: cube–octahedron
Platonic solids dualPair Platonic solids self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: dodecahedron–icosahedron
Euler’s polyhedron formula holdsFor Platonic solids
Harmonices Mundi explores Platonic solids
Mysterium Cosmographicum usesConcept Platonic solids
Piero della Francesca wrote Platonic solids
this entity surface form: De quinque corporibus regularibus
Symmetry discusses Platonic solids
Andreas Speiser wroteAbout Platonic solids
Book XIII of Euclid's Elements mainTopic Platonic solids
Amos B. Smith III hasPublishedIn Platonic solids
this entity surface form: Tetrahedron
The Cosmographic Mystery mainSubject Platonic solids
The Secret of the Universe influencedBy Platonic solids
Keplerian cosmology basedOn Platonic solids