In geometry, a triakis octahedron (or trigonal trisoctahedron[1] or kisoctahedron[2]) is an Archimedean dual solid, or a Catalan solid. Its dual is the truncated cube.

Triakis octahedron

(Click here for rotating model)
Type Catalan solid
Coxeter diagram
Conway notation kO
Face type V3.8.8

isosceles triangle
Faces 24
Edges 36
Vertices 14
Vertices by type 8{3}+6{8}
Symmetry group Oh, B3, [4,3], (*432)
Rotation group O, [4,3]+, (432)
Dihedral angle 147°21′00″
arccos(−3 + 8√2/17)
Properties convex, face-transitive

Truncated cube
(dual polyhedron)
Triakis octahedron Net
Net

It can be seen as an octahedron with triangular pyramids added to each face; that is, it is the Kleetope of the octahedron. It is also sometimes called a trisoctahedron, or, more fully, trigonal trisoctahedron. Both names reflect that it has three triangular faces for every face of an octahedron. The tetragonal trisoctahedron is another name for the deltoidal icositetrahedron, a different polyhedron with three quadrilateral faces for every face of an octahedron.

This convex polyhedron is topologically similar to the concave stellated octahedron. They have the same face connectivity, but the vertices are at different relative distances from the center.

If its shorter edges have length of 1, its surface area and volume are:

Cartesian coordinates

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Let α = 2 − 1, then the 14 points α, ±α, ±α) and (±1, 0, 0), (0, ±1, 0) and (0, 0, ±1) are the vertices of a triakis octahedron centered at the origin.

The length of the long edges equals 2, and that of the short edges 22 − 2.

The faces are isosceles triangles with one obtuse and two acute angles. The obtuse angle equals arccos(1/42/2)117.20057038016° and the acute ones equal arccos(1/2 + 2/4)31.39971480992°.

Orthogonal projections

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The triakis octahedron has three symmetry positions, two located on vertices, and one mid-edge:

Orthogonal projections
Projective
symmetry
[2] [4] [6]
Triakis
octahedron
     
Truncated
cube
     

Cultural references

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The triakis octahedron is one of a family of duals to the uniform polyhedra related to the cube and regular octahedron.

Uniform octahedral polyhedra
Symmetry: [4,3], (*432) [4,3]+
(432)
[1+,4,3] = [3,3]
(*332)
[3+,4]
(3*2)
{4,3} t{4,3} r{4,3}
r{31,1}
t{3,4}
t{31,1}
{3,4}
{31,1}
rr{4,3}
s2{3,4}
tr{4,3} sr{4,3} h{4,3}
{3,3}
h2{4,3}
t{3,3}
s{3,4}
s{31,1}
                                                     
     
=    
     
=    
     
=    
            =
    or    
      =
    or    
      =
   
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
           
 
Duals to uniform polyhedra
V43 V3.82 V(3.4)2 V4.62 V34 V3.43 V4.6.8 V34.4 V33 V3.62 V35
                                                                 
                                         
                     

The triakis octahedron is a part of a sequence of polyhedra and tilings, extending into the hyperbolic plane. These face-transitive figures have (*n32) reflectional symmetry.

 
3D model of a triakis octahedron
 
Animation of triakis octahedron and other related polyhedra
 
Spherical triakis octahedron
*n32 symmetry mutation of truncated tilings: t{n,3}
Symmetry
*n32
[n,3]
Spherical Euclid. Compact hyperb. Paraco. Noncompact hyperbolic
*232
[2,3]
*332
[3,3]
*432
[4,3]
*532
[5,3]
*632
[6,3]
*732
[7,3]
*832
[8,3]...
*∞32
[∞,3]
[12i,3] [9i,3] [6i,3]
Truncated
figures
                     
Symbol t{2,3} t{3,3} t{4,3} t{5,3} t{6,3} t{7,3} t{8,3} t{∞,3} t{12i,3} t{9i,3} t{6i,3}
Triakis
figures
               
Config. V3.4.4 V3.6.6 V3.8.8 V3.10.10 V3.12.12 V3.14.14 V3.16.16 V3.∞.∞

The triakis octahedron is also a part of a sequence of polyhedra and tilings, extending into the hyperbolic plane. These face-transitive figures have (*n42) reflectional symmetry.

*n42 symmetry mutation of truncated tilings: n.8.8
Symmetry
*n42
[n,4]
Spherical Euclidean Compact hyperbolic Paracompact
*242
[2,4]
*342
[3,4]
*442
[4,4]
*542
[5,4]
*642
[6,4]
*742
[7,4]
*842
[8,4]...
*∞42
[∞,4]
Truncated
figures
               
Config. 2.8.8 3.8.8 4.8.8 5.8.8 6.8.8 7.8.8 8.8.8 ∞.8.8
n-kis
figures
               
Config. V2.8.8 V3.8.8 V4.8.8 V5.8.8 V6.8.8 V7.8.8 V8.8.8 V∞.8.8

References

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  1. ^ "Clipart tagged: 'forms'". etc.usf.edu.
  2. ^ Conway, Symmetries of things, p. 284
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