[lojban] Re: regular polyhedrons

[Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>]

On Wed, May 26, 2004 at 09:15:31PM -0000, pedagoguery wrote:
> --- In lojban@yahoogroups.com, Robin Lee Powell wrote:
> > On Sat, May 22, 2004, xahlee.org wrote:
> >> a friend wanted to know how to say "great dodecahedron" in lojban.
> >> 
> >> So, how does one say the five regular solids?
> >> 
> >> tetrahedron
> >> cube/hexahedron
> >> octahedron
> >> dodecahedron
> >> icosahedron
> > 
> > The standard trick, IIRC, is to do things like vonkubli, which would
> > have the place structure:
> > 
> > x1 is a four-sided polygon of dimensions x2 (def. 3)
> > 
> > However, for what you want vonynickubli is better:
> > 
> > x1 is a four-sided polygon of dimensions x2 (def. 3) with regularity
> > property x3 (def. all sides same length, all angles equal)
> > 
> > That's just off the top of my head, though.
> 
> Thanks. I'm Xah's friend :-)
> 
> The Lojban dictionary I have lists "kubli" as being a regular 
> polyhedron --- is this correct? If it is, I'm not sure what the "nic" 
> signfies in "vonynickubli".

Good point; vonkubli is probably fine.

> Does "kubli" imply convexity, or some other property beyond
> regularity? 

All I've got is the definition.

> If not, there are 4 candidates for the 12-sided regular polyhedron.
> "Regular polyhedron" in modern use doesn't typically imply convexity.
> (There are 9 regular polyhedra, 5 of which are convex.)

Huh.  Didn't know that.  Make it vonpulkubli then.

> Comments? Why is "vonkubli" preferable to "kubli fi vo"?

Because you asked for a single word.

-Robin

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