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A sphere, a surface of constant radius and thus diameter, is a surface of constant width. Contrary to common belief the Reuleaux tetrahedron is not a surface of constant width. However, there are two different ways of smoothing subsets of the edges of the Reuleaux tetrahedron to form Meissner tetrahedra, surfaces of constant
In geometry, a curve of constant width is a simple closed curve in the plane whose width (the distance between parallel supporting lines) is the same in all directions. The shape bounded by a curve of constant width is a body of constant width or an orbiform, the name given to these shapes by Leonhard Euler. [1]
Bonnesen and Fenchel [4] conjectured that Meissner tetrahedra are the minimum-volume three-dimensional shapes of constant width, a conjecture which is still open. [5] In 2011 Anciaux and Guilfoyle [6] proved that the minimizer must consist of pieces of spheres and tubes over curves, which, being true for the Meissner tetrahedra, supports the conjecture.
Tessellations of euclidean and hyperbolic space may also be considered regular polytopes. Note that an 'n'-dimensional polytope actually tessellates a space of one dimension less. For example, the (three-dimensional) platonic solids tessellate the 'two'-dimensional 'surface' of the sphere.
The first mathematician to discover the existence of curves of constant width, and to observe that the Reuleaux triangle has constant width, may have been Leonhard Euler. [5] In a paper that he presented in 1771 and published in 1781 entitled De curvis triangularibus , Euler studied curvilinear triangles as well as the curves of constant width ...
The constant width of these shapes allows their use as coins that can be used in coin-operated machines. For instance, the United Kingdom has made 20-pence and 50-pence coins in the shape of a regular Reuleaux heptagon. [5] The Canadian loonie dollar coin uses another regular Reuleaux polygon with 11 sides. [6]
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A solid figure is the region of 3D space bounded by a two-dimensional closed surface; for example, a solid ball consists of a sphere and its interior. Solid geometry deals with the measurements of volumes of various solids, including pyramids , prisms (and other polyhedrons ), cubes , cylinders , cones (and truncated cones ).