Uniform square antiprism | |
---|---|
Type | Prismatic uniform polyhedron |
Elements | F = 10, E = 16 V = 8 (χ = 2) |
Faces by sides | 8{3}+2{4} |
Schläfli symbol | s{2,8} sr{2,4} |
Wythoff symbol | | 2 2 4 |
Coxeter diagram | |
Symmetry group | D4d, [2+,8], (2*4), order 16 |
Rotation group | D4, [4,2]+, (442), order 8 |
References | U 77(b) |
Dual | Tetragonal trapezohedron |
Properties | convex |
Vertex figure 3.3.3.4 |
In geometry, the square antiprism is the second in an infinite family of antiprisms formed by an even-numbered sequence of triangle sides closed by two polygon caps. It is also known as an anticube. [1]
If all its faces are regular, it is a semiregular polyhedron or uniform polyhedron.
A nonuniform D4-symmetric variant is the cell of the noble square antiprismatic 72-cell.
When eight points are distributed on the surface of a sphere with the aim of maximising the distance between them in some sense, the resulting shape corresponds to a square antiprism rather than a cube. Specific methods of distributing the points include, for example, the Thomson problem (minimizing the sum of all the reciprocals of distances between points), maximising the distance of each point to the nearest point, or minimising the sum of all reciprocals of squares of distances between points.
According to the VSEPR theory of molecular geometry in chemistry, which is based on the general principle of maximizing the distances between points, a square antiprism is the favoured geometry when eight pairs of electrons surround a central atom. One molecule with this geometry is the octafluoroxenate(VI) ion (XeF2−
8) in the salt nitrosonium octafluoroxenate(VI); however, the molecule is distorted away from the idealized square antiprism. [2] Very few ions are cubical because such a shape would cause large repulsion between ligands; PaF3−
8 is one of the few examples. [3]
In addition, the element sulfur forms octatomic S8 molecules as its most stable allotrope. The S8 molecule has a structure based on the square antiprism, in which the eight atoms occupy the eight vertices of the antiprism, and the eight triangle-triangle edges of the antiprism correspond to single covalent bonds between sulfur atoms.
The main building block of the One World Trade Center (at the site of the old World Trade Center destroyed on September 11, 2001) has the shape of an extremely tall tapering square antiprism. It is not a true antiprism because of its taper: the top square has half the area of the bottom one.
A twisted prism can be made (clockwise or counterclockwise) with the same vertex arrangement. It can be seen as the convex form with 4 tetrahedrons excavated around the sides. However, after this it can no longer be triangulated into tetrahedra without adding new vertices. It has half of the symmetry of the uniform solution: D4 order 4. [4] [5]
A crossed square antiprism is a star polyhedron, topologically identical to the square antiprism with the same vertex arrangement, but it can't be made uniform; the sides are isosceles triangles. Its vertex configuration is 3.3/2.3.4, with one triangle retrograde. It has d4d symmetry, order 8.
The gyroelongated square pyramid is a Johnson solid (specifically, J10) constructed by augmenting one a square pyramid. Similarly, the gyroelongated square bipyramid (J17) is a deltahedron (a polyhedron whose faces are all equilateral triangles) constructed by replacing both squares of a square antiprism with a square pyramid.
The snub disphenoid (J84) is another deltahedron, constructed by replacing the two squares of a square antiprism by pairs of equilateral triangles. The snub square antiprism (J85) can be seen as a square antiprism with a chain of equilateral triangles inserted around the middle. The sphenocorona (J86) and the sphenomegacorona (J88) are other Johnson solids that, like the square antiprism, consist of two squares and an even number of equilateral triangles.
The square antiprism can be truncated and alternated to form a snub antiprism:
Antiprism | Truncated t | Alternated ht |
---|---|---|
s{2,8} | ts{2,8} | ss{2,8} |
As an antiprism, the square antiprism belongs to a family of polyhedra that includes the octahedron (which can be seen as a triangle-capped antiprism), the pentagonal antiprism, the hexagonal antiprism, and the octagonal antiprism.
Antiprism name | Digonal antiprism | (Trigonal) Triangular antiprism | (Tetragonal) Square antiprism | Pentagonal antiprism | Hexagonal antiprism | Heptagonal antiprism | Octagonal antiprism | Enneagonal antiprism | Decagonal antiprism | Hendecagonal antiprism | Dodecagonal antiprism | ... | Apeirogonal antiprism |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polyhedron image | ... | ||||||||||||
Spherical tiling image | Plane tiling image | ||||||||||||
Vertex config. | 2.3.3.3 | 3.3.3.3 | 4.3.3.3 | 5.3.3.3 | 6.3.3.3 | 7.3.3.3 | 8.3.3.3 | 9.3.3.3 | 10.3.3.3 | 11.3.3.3 | 12.3.3.3 | ... | ∞.3.3.3 |
The square antiprism is first in a series of snub polyhedra and tilings with vertex figure 3.3.4.3.n.
4n2 symmetry mutations of snub tilings: 3.3.4.3.n | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symmetry 4n2 | Spherical | Euclidean | Compact hyperbolic | Paracomp. | ||||
242 | 342 | 442 | 542 | 642 | 742 | 842 | ∞42 | |
Snub figures | ||||||||
Config. | 3.3.4.3.2 | 3.3.4.3.3 | 3.3.4.3.4 | 3.3.4.3.5 | 3.3.4.3.6 | 3.3.4.3.7 | 3.3.4.3.8 | 3.3.4.3.∞ |
Gyro figures | ||||||||
Config. | V3.3.4.3.2 | V3.3.4.3.3 | V3.3.4.3.4 | V3.3.4.3.5 | V3.3.4.3.6 | V3.3.4.3.7 | V3.3.4.3.8 | V3.3.4.3.∞ |
In geometry, an n-gonal antiprism or n-antiprism is a polyhedron composed of two parallel direct copies of an n-sided polygon, connected by an alternating band of 2n triangles. They are represented by the Conway notation An.
A cuboctahedron is a polyhedron with 8 triangular faces and 6 square faces. A cuboctahedron has 12 identical vertices, with 2 triangles and 2 squares meeting at each, and 24 identical edges, each separating a triangle from a square. As such, it is a quasiregular polyhedron, i.e. an Archimedean solid that is not only vertex-transitive but also edge-transitive. It is radially equilateral.
In geometry, a Johnson solid is a strictly convex polyhedron each face of which is a regular polygon. There is no requirement that each face must be the same polygon, or that the same polygons join around each vertex. An example of a Johnson solid is the square-based pyramid with equilateral sides ; it has 1 square face and 4 triangular faces. Some authors require that the solid not be uniform before they refer to it as a "Johnson solid".
In geometry, an octahedron is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex.
In geometry, the triangular bipyramid is a type of hexahedron, being the first in the infinite set of face-transitive bipyramids. It is the dual of the triangular prism with 6 isosceles triangle faces.
The triaugmented triangular prism, in geometry, is a convex polyhedron with 14 equilateral triangles as its faces. It can be constructed from a triangular prism by attaching equilateral square pyramids to each of its three square faces. The same shape is also called the tetrakis triangular prism, tricapped trigonal prism, tetracaidecadeltahedron, or tetrakaidecadeltahedron; these last names mean a polyhedron with 14 triangular faces. It is an example of a deltahedron and of a Johnson solid.
In geometry, the gyroelongated square pyramid is one of the Johnson solids. As its name suggests, it can be constructed by taking a square pyramid and "gyroelongating" it, which in this case involves joining a square antiprism to its base.
In geometry, the snub disphenoid, Siamese dodecahedron, triangular dodecahedron, trigonal dodecahedron, or dodecadeltahedron is a convex polyhedron with twelve equilateral triangles as its faces. It is not a regular polyhedron because some vertices have four faces and others have five. It is a dodecahedron, one of the eight deltahedra, and is the 84th Johnson solid. It can be thought of as a square antiprism where both squares are replaced with two equilateral triangles.
In geometry, a triangular prism is a three-sided prism; it is a polyhedron made of a triangular base, a translated copy, and 3 faces joining corresponding sides. A right triangular prism has rectangular sides, otherwise it is oblique. A uniform triangular prism is a right triangular prism with equilateral bases, and square sides.
In geometry, a near-miss Johnson solid is a strictly convex polyhedron whose faces are close to being regular polygons but some or all of which are not precisely regular. Thus, it fails to meet the definition of a Johnson solid, a polyhedron whose faces are all regular, though it "can often be physically constructed without noticing the discrepancy" between its regular and irregular faces. The precise number of near-misses depends on how closely the faces of such a polyhedron are required to approximate regular polygons.
In geometry, the gyroelongated bipyramids are an infinite set of polyhedra, constructed by elongating an n-gonal bipyramid by inserting an n-gonal antiprism between its congruent halves.
In mathematics, the compound of three octahedra or octahedron 3-compound is a polyhedral compound formed from three regular octahedra, all sharing a common center but rotated with respect to each other. Although appearing earlier in the mathematical literature, it was rediscovered and popularized by M. C. Escher, who used it in the central image of his 1948 woodcut Stars.
In chemistry, the square antiprismatic molecular geometry describes the shape of compounds where eight atoms, groups of atoms, or ligands are arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of a square antiprism. This shape has D4d symmetry and is one of the three common shapes for octacoordinate transition metal complexes, along with the dodecahedron and the bicapped trigonal prism.
In chemistry, the capped square antiprismatic molecular geometry describes the shape of compounds where nine atoms, groups of atoms, or ligands are arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of a gyroelongated square pyramid.
In geometry, a diminished trapezohedron is a polyhedron in an infinite set of polyhedra, constructed by removing one of the polar vertices of a trapezohedron and replacing it by a new face (diminishment). It has one regular n-gonal base face, n triangle faces around the base, and n kites meeting on top. The kites can also be replaced by rhombi with specific proportions.
In geometry, an edge-contracted icosahedron is a polyhedron with 18 triangular faces, 27 edges, and 11 vertices.
In geometry, an icosahedron is a polyhedron with 20 faces. The name comes from Ancient Greek εἴκοσι (eíkosi) 'twenty', and ἕδρα (hédra) 'seat'. The plural can be either "icosahedra" or "icosahedrons".
In geometry, the elongated gyrobifastigium or gabled rhombohedron is a space-filling octahedron with 4 rectangles and 4 right-angled pentagonal faces.