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arXiv:2011.14232math.MG

Space vectors forming rational angles

Kiran S. Kedlaya, Alexander Kolpakov, Bjorn Poonen, Michael Rubinstein

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Abstract

We classify all sets of nonzero vectors in $\mathbb{R}^3$ such that the angle formed by each pair is a rational multiple of $π$. The special case of four-element subsets lets us classify all tetrahedra whose dihedral angles are multiples of $π$, solving a 1976 problem of Conway and Jones: there are $2$ one-parameter families and $59$ sporadic tetrahedra, all but three of which are related to either the icosidodecahedron or the $B_3$ root lattice. The proof requires the solution in roots of unity of a $W(D_6)$-symmetric polynomial equation with $105$ monomials (the previous record was $12$ monomials).

arXiv comments
30 pages. Associated code at https://github.com/kedlaya/tetrahedra
Journal reference
DOI
Subjects
math.MGMetric Geometry math.AGAlgebraic Geometry math.NTNumber Theory

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    • That seems like a pretty unfair summary. The author is a high school math teacher and the audience is clearly relatively non-technical. But I didn’t know that rational tetrahedra (dihedral angles all rational multiples of π) were classified in 2020…

      jacobolusView on HNParent context

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