NORTHEASTERNU NIVERSITY
MATHEMATICSD EPARTMENT


Geometry-Algebra-Singularities-Combinatorics 
Seminar

 
Face regularity in simplicial complexes
 

Dan Klein

(University of Massachusetts, Lowell)

 

Northeastern University

511 Lake Hall

1:30 p.m., Monday, March 31, 2003

 
Abstract:   A tetrahedron is called  isosceles if its four triangular facets are congruent to one another.  We will show that if the four triangular facets of a 3-dimensional tetrahedron can be partitioned into pairs with the same area, then those pairs must be congruent.  In particular, if the four faces of a tetrahedron have the same area then the tetrahedron must be isosceles.  This result can be generalized to polyhedral surfaces, but many analogous assertions turn out to be false in dimension 4 and greater.  This talk will give an overview of these questions as well as pose some new ones. It should be accessible to  graduate students and advanced undergraduate students.