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This equation, stated by Euler in 1758, [2] is known as Euler's polyhedron formula. [3] It corresponds to the Euler characteristic of the sphere (i.e. χ = 2 {\displaystyle \ \chi =2\ } ), and applies identically to spherical polyhedra .
Euler's formula is ubiquitous in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering. The physicist Richard Feynman called the equation "our jewel" and "the most remarkable formula in mathematics". [2] When x = π, Euler's formula may be rewritten as e iπ + 1 = 0 or e iπ = −1, which is known as Euler's identity.
The Euler characteristic for all 4-polytopes is zero, we have the 4-dimensional analogue of Euler's polyhedral formula: + = where N k denotes the number of k-faces in the polytope (a vertex is a 0-face, an edge is a 1-face, etc.).
From the fact that each facet of a three-dimensional polyhedron has at least three edges, it follows by double counting that 2e ≥ 3f, and using this inequality to eliminate e and f from Euler's formula leads to the further inequalities e ≤ 3v − 6 and f ≤ 2v − 4. By duality, e ≤ 3f − 6 and v ≤ 2f − 4.
A modified form of Euler's formula, using density (D) of the vertex figures and faces was given by Arthur Cayley, and holds both for convex polyhedra (where the correction factors are all 1), and the Kepler–Poinsot polyhedra: + =.
The work was lost, and not rediscovered until the 19th century. One of its contributions was Descartes' theorem on total angular defect, which is closely related to Euler's polyhedral formula. [81] Leonhard Euler, for whom the formula is named, introduced it in 1758 for convex polyhedra more generally, albeit with an incorrect proof. [82]
The five Platonic solids have an Euler characteristic of 2. This simply reflects that the surface is a topological 2-sphere, and so is also true, for example, of any polyhedron which is star-shaped with respect to some interior point.
This follows from the spherical excess formula for a spherical polygon and the fact that the vertex figure of the polyhedron {p,q} is a regular q-gon. The solid angle of a face subtended from the center of a platonic solid is equal to the solid angle of a full sphere (4 π steradians) divided by the number of faces. This is equal to the angular ...