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Definition 2024

Platonic_solid

Platonic solid

English

A tetrahedron, one of the Platonic solids

Alternative forms

Noun

Platonic solid ‎(plural Platonic solids)

  1. (geometry) Any of five convex polyhedra with congruent regular polygonal faces, which have a high degree of symmetry and have been studied since antiquity.
    • 1961, J. S. Griffith, The Theory of Transition-Metal Ions, page 41,
      As the names suggest, the groups and their existence are connected to the five Platonic solids. They are in fact the rotation groups of the Platonic solids.
    • 1993, Aharon Kantorovich, Scientific Discovery: Logic and Tinkering, page 160,
      The erroneous number of planets, six, gave him[Johannes Kepler] the clue for his model of five Platonic solids (the five regular convex polyhedra) on which he erected the universe.
    • 2015, Alexander A. Stepanov, Daniel E. Rose, From Mathematics to Generic Programming, page 44,
      In the 13th and final book, he[Euclid] shows how to construct the five Platonic solids, and proves that they are the only regular polyhedra (bodies whose faces are congruent, regular polygons) that exist.

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Translations

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platonic_solid

Platonic solid

English

A tetrahedron, one of the Platonic solids

Alternative forms

Noun

Platonic solid ‎(plural Platonic solids)

  1. (geometry) Any of five convex polyhedra with congruent regular polygonal faces, which have a high degree of symmetry and have been studied since antiquity.
    • 1961, J. S. Griffith, The Theory of Transition-Metal Ions, page 41,
      As the names suggest, the groups and their existence are connected to the five Platonic solids. They are in fact the rotation groups of the Platonic solids.
    • 1993, Aharon Kantorovich, Scientific Discovery: Logic and Tinkering, page 160,
      The erroneous number of planets, six, gave him[Johannes Kepler] the clue for his model of five Platonic solids (the five regular convex polyhedra) on which he erected the universe.
    • 2015, Alexander A. Stepanov, Daniel E. Rose, From Mathematics to Generic Programming, page 44,
      In the 13th and final book, he[Euclid] shows how to construct the five Platonic solids, and proves that they are the only regular polyhedra (bodies whose faces are congruent, regular polygons) that exist.

Hyponyms

Translations

Related terms

See also

Etymology

From Platonic + solid, in reference to the Greek philosopher Plato, who in his dialogue Timaeus theorised about a correspondence between these solids and the classical physical elements.

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