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Schläfli Differential Formula


The Schläfli differential formula relates the first-order change in the volume of a polyhedron to the changes in its dihedral angles during a smooth deformation in a space of constant curvature. For a tetrahedron in three-dimensional hyperbolic geometry, Euclidean geometry, or spherical geometry, it is

 KdV=1/2sum_(e)l_edtheta_e,

where K=-1, 0, or 1 is the curvature, respectively, and the sum is over the six edges e, with edge length l_e and interior dihedral angle theta_e. Using exterior rather than interior dihedral angles changes the sign convention. In the Euclidean case, the formula reduces to sum_(e)l_edtheta_e=0.

Akopyan and Izmestiev (2019) used the Schläfli differential formula to prove that Regge symmetry preserves the volumes of spherical and hyperbolic tetrahedra.


See also

Dihedral Angle, Regge Symmetry, Tetrahedron, Volume

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References

Akopyan, A. and Izmestiev, I. "The Regge symmetry, confocal conics, and the Schläfli formula." Bull. London Math. Soc. 51, 765-775, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1112/blms.12276.

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Schläfli Differential Formula." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/SchlaefliDifferentialFormula.html

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