This table shows the 11 convex uniform tilings (regular and semiregular) of the Euclidean plane, and their dual tilings.
There are three regular and eight semiregular tilings in the plane. The semiregular tilings form new tilings from their duals, each made from one type of irregular face.
John Conway called these uniform duals Catalan tilings, in parallel to the Catalan solid polyhedra.
Uniform tilings are listed by their vertex configuration, the sequence of faces that exist on each vertex. For example 4.8.8 means one square and two octagons on a vertex.
These 11 uniform tilings have 32 different uniform colorings . A uniform coloring allows identical sided polygons at a vertex to be colored differently, while still maintaining vertex-uniformity and transformational congruence between vertices. (Note: Some of the tiling images shown below are not color-uniform.)
In addition to the 11 convex uniform tilings, there are also 14 known nonconvex tilings, using star polygons, and reverse orientation vertex configurations. A further 28 uniform tilings are known using apeirogons. If zigzags are also allowed, there are 23 more known uniform tilings and 10 more known families depending on a parameter: in 8 cases the parameter is continuous, and in the other 2 it is discrete. The set is not known to be complete.
In the 1987 book, Tilings and patterns , Branko Grünbaum calls the vertex-uniform tilings Archimedean, in parallel to the Archimedean solids. Their dual tilings are called Laves tilings in honor of crystallographer Fritz Laves. [1] [2] They're also called Shubnikov–Laves tilings after Aleksei Shubnikov. [3] John Conway called the uniform duals Catalan tilings, in parallel to the Catalan solid polyhedra.
The Laves tilings have vertices at the centers of the regular polygons, and edges connecting centers of regular polygons that share an edge. The tiles of the Laves tilings are called planigons . This includes the 3 regular tiles (triangle, square and hexagon) and 8 irregular ones. [4] Each vertex has edges evenly spaced around it. Three dimensional analogues of the planigons are called stereohedrons.
These dual tilings are listed by their face configuration, the number of faces at each vertex of a face. For example V4.8.8 means isosceles triangle tiles with one corner with four triangles, and two corners containing eight triangles. The orientations of the vertex planigons (up to D12) are consistent with the vertex diagrams in the below sections.
Triangles | Quadrilaterals | Pentagons | Hexagon | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
V63 | V4.82 | V4.6.12 | V3.122 | V44 | V(3.6)2 | V3.4.6.4 | V32.4.3.4 | V34.6 | V33.42 | V36 |
All reflectional forms can be made by Wythoff constructions, represented by Wythoff symbols, or Coxeter-Dynkin diagrams, each operating upon one of three Schwarz triangle (4,4,2), (6,3,2), or (3,3,3), with symmetry represented by Coxeter groups: [4,4], [6,3], or [3[3]]. Alternated forms such as the snub can also be represented by special markups within each system. Only one uniform tiling can't be constructed by a Wythoff process, but can be made by an elongation of the triangular tiling. An orthogonal mirror construction [∞,2,∞] also exists, seen as two sets of parallel mirrors making a rectangular fundamental domain. If the domain is square, this symmetry can be doubled by a diagonal mirror into the [4,4] family.
Families:
Uniform tilings (Platonic and Archimedean) | Vertex figure and dual face Wythoff symbol(s) Symmetry group Coxeter diagram(s) | Dual-uniform tilings (called Laves or Catalan tilings) |
---|---|---|
Square tiling (quadrille) | 4.4.4.4 (or 44) 4 | 2 4 p4m, [4,4], (*442) | self-dual (quadrille) |
Truncated square tiling (truncated quadrille) | 4.8.8 2 | 4 4 4 4 2 | p4m, [4,4], (*442) or | Tetrakis square tiling (kisquadrille) |
Snub square tiling (snub quadrille) | 3.3.4.3.4 | 4 4 2 p4g, [4+,4], (4*2) or | Cairo pentagonal tiling (4-fold pentille) |
Platonic and Archimedean tilings | Vertex figure and dual face Wythoff symbol(s) Symmetry group Coxeter diagram(s) | Dual Laves tilings |
---|---|---|
Hexagonal tiling (hextille) | 6.6.6 (or 63) 3 | 6 2 2 6 | 3 3 3 3 | p6m, [6,3], (*632) | Triangular tiling (deltille) |
Trihexagonal tiling (hexadeltille) | (3.6)2 2 | 6 3 3 3 | 3 p6m, [6,3], (*632) = | Rhombille tiling (rhombille) |
Truncated hexagonal tiling (truncated hextille) | 3.12.12 2 3 | 6 p6m, [6,3], (*632) | Triakis triangular tiling (kisdeltille) |
Triangular tiling (deltille) | 3.3.3.3.3.3 (or 36) 6 | 3 2 3 | 3 3 | 3 3 3 p6m, [6,3], (*632) = | Hexagonal tiling (hextille) |
Rhombitrihexagonal tiling (rhombihexadeltille) | 3.4.6.4 3 | 6 2 p6m, [6,3], (*632) | Deltoidal trihexagonal tiling (tetrille) |
Truncated trihexagonal tiling (truncated hexadeltille) | 4.6.12 2 6 3 | p6m, [6,3], (*632) | Kisrhombille tiling (kisrhombille) |
Snub trihexagonal tiling (snub hextille) | 3.3.3.3.6 | 6 3 2 p6, [6,3]+, (632) | Floret pentagonal tiling (6-fold pentille) |
Platonic and Archimedean tilings | Vertex figure and dual face Wythoff symbol(s) Symmetry group Coxeter diagram | Dual Laves tilings |
---|---|---|
Elongated triangular tiling (isosnub quadrille) | 3.3.3.4.4 2 | 2 (2 2) cmm, [∞,2+,∞], (2*22) | Prismatic pentagonal tiling (iso(4-)pentille) |
There are a total of 32 uniform colorings of the 11 uniform tilings:
In geometry, a convex uniform honeycomb is a uniform tessellation which fills three-dimensional Euclidean space with non-overlapping convex uniform polyhedral cells.
Euclidean plane tilings by convex regular polygons have been widely used since antiquity. The first systematic mathematical treatment was that of Kepler in his Harmonices Mundi.
In geometry, a uniform polyhedron has regular polygons as faces and is vertex-transitive—there is an isometry mapping any vertex onto any other. It follows that all vertices are congruent. Uniform polyhedra may be regular, quasi-regular, or semi-regular. The faces and vertices need not be convex, so many of the uniform polyhedra are also star polyhedra.
In geometry, the triangular tiling or triangular tessellation is one of the three regular tilings of the Euclidean plane, and is the only such tiling where the constituent shapes are not parallelogons. Because the internal angle of the equilateral triangle is 60 degrees, six triangles at a point occupy a full 360 degrees. The triangular tiling has Schläfli symbol of {3,6}.
In geometry, the truncated hexagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. There are 2 dodecagons (12-sides) and one triangle on each vertex.
In geometry, the truncated trihexagonal tiling is one of eight semiregular tilings of the Euclidean plane. There are one square, one hexagon, and one dodecagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol of tr{3,6}.
In geometry, the truncated square tiling is a semiregular tiling by regular polygons of the Euclidean plane with one square and two octagons on each vertex. This is the only edge-to-edge tiling by regular convex polygons which contains an octagon. It has Schläfli symbol of t{4,4}.
In geometry, the rhombitrihexagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. There are one triangle, two squares, and one hexagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol of rr{3,6}.
In geometry, the snub hexagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. There are four triangles and one hexagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol sr{3,6}. The snub tetrahexagonal tiling is a related hyperbolic tiling with Schläfli symbol sr{4,6}.
In geometry, the elongated triangular tiling is a semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. There are three triangles and two squares on each vertex. It is named as a triangular tiling elongated by rows of squares, and given Schläfli symbol {3,6}:e.
The cubic honeycomb or cubic cellulation is the only proper regular space-filling tessellation in Euclidean 3-space made up of cubic cells. It has 4 cubes around every edge, and 8 cubes around each vertex. Its vertex figure is a regular octahedron. It is a self-dual tessellation with Schläfli symbol {4,3,4}. John Horton Conway called this honeycomb a cubille.
The bitruncated cubic honeycomb is a space-filling tessellation in Euclidean 3-space made up of truncated octahedra. It has 4 truncated octahedra around each vertex. Being composed entirely of truncated octahedra, it is cell-transitive. It is also edge-transitive, with 2 hexagons and one square on each edge, and vertex-transitive. It is one of 28 uniform honeycombs.
The quarter cubic honeycomb, quarter cubic cellulation or bitruncated alternated cubic honeycomb is a space-filling tessellation in Euclidean 3-space. It is composed of tetrahedra and truncated tetrahedra in a ratio of 1:1. It is called "quarter-cubic" because its symmetry unit – the minimal block from which the pattern is developed by reflections – is four times that of the cubic honeycomb.
In geometry, the order-3 snub heptagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the hyperbolic plane. There are four triangles and one heptagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol of sr{7,3}. The snub tetraheptagonal tiling is another related hyperbolic tiling with Schläfli symbol sr{7,4}.
In geometry, a uniform tiling is a tessellation of the plane by regular polygon faces with the restriction of being vertex-transitive.
In geometry, a uniform honeycomb or uniform tessellation or infinite uniform polytope, is a vertex-transitive honeycomb made from uniform polytope facets. All of its vertices are identical and there is the same combination and arrangement of faces at each vertex. Its dimension can be clarified as n-honeycomb for an n-dimensional honeycomb.
In geometry, the octagonal tiling is a regular tiling of the hyperbolic plane. It is represented by Schläfli symbol of {8,3}, having three regular octagons around each vertex. It also has a construction as a truncated order-8 square tiling, t{4,8}.
In geometry, the order-3 snub octagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the hyperbolic plane. There are four triangles, one octagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol of sr{8,3}.
In geometry, the truncated octagonal tiling is a semiregular tiling of the hyperbolic plane. There is one triangle and two hexakaidecagons on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol of t{8,3}.
In geometry, a planigon is a convex polygon that can fill the plane with only copies of itself. In the Euclidean plane there are 3 regular planigons; equilateral triangle, squares, and regular hexagons; and 8 semiregular planigons; and 4 demiregular planigons which can tile the plane only with other planigons.