Regular polytope impossible ("not constructible"). The simplest few regular polygons that are impossible to construct are the "n"-sided polygons with "n" equal to 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21... Constructibility in this sense refers only to ideal constructions with ideal tools. Of course reasonably accurate approximations can be constructed by a range of methods; while theoretically possible constructions may be impractical. Euclid's "Elements" gave what amount to ruler-and-compass constructions for the five Platonic solids. (See, for example, Euclid's Elements.) However, the merely practical question of how one might draw a straight line in space, even with a ruler, might lead
Regular Polytopes (book) , and the third edition was reviewed telegraphically in . Regular Polytopes (book) Regular Polytopes is a mathematical geometry book written by Canadian mathematician Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter. Originally published in 1947, the book was updated and republished in 1963 and 1973. The book is a comprehensive survey of the geometry of regular polytopes, the generalisation of regular polygons and regular polyhedra to higher dimensions. Originating with an essay entitled "Dimensional Analogy" written in 1923, the first edition of the book took Coxeter twenty-four years to complete. "Regular Polytopes" is a standard reference work on regular polygons, polyhedra and their