Definition:Regular Octahedron/Historical Note
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Historical Note on the Regular Octahedron
Euclid in The Elements refers to this object just as an octahedron.
In the words of Euclid:
- An octahedron is a solid figure contained by eight equal and equilateral triangles.
(The Elements: Book $\text{XI}$: Definition $26$)
According to the Pythagorean tradition, the regular octahedron was the symbol for the element air.
Sources
- 1986: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): $4$
- 1997: David Wells: Curious and Interesting Numbers (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): $4$