Snub hexagonal tiling

In geometry, the snub hexagonal tiling (or ''snub trihexagonal tiling'') is a semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. There are four triangles and one hexagon on each vertex. It has Schläfli symbol ''sr''. The snub tetrahexagonal tiling is a related hyperbolic tiling with Schläfli symbol ''sr''.

Conway calls it a snub hextille, constructed as a snub operation applied to a hexagonal tiling (hextille).

There are three regular and eight semiregular tilings in the plane. This is the only one which does not have a reflection as a symmetry.

There is only one uniform coloring of a snub trihexagonal tiling. (Labeling the colors by numbers, "3.3.3.3.6" gives "11213".)

Circle packing

The snub trihexagonal tiling can be used as a circle packing, placing equal diameter circles at the center of every point. Every circle is in contact with 5 other circles in the packing ( kissing number).Order in Space: A design source book, Keith Critchlow, p.74-75, pattern E The lattice domain (red rhombus) repeats 6 distinct circles. The hexagonal gaps can be filled by exactly one circle, leading to the densest packing from the triangular tiling.
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Related polyhedra and tilings

Symmetry mutations

This semiregular tiling is a member of a sequence of snubbed polyhedra and tilings with vertex figure (3.3.3.3.''n'') and Coxeter–Dynkin diagram . These figures and their duals have (n32) rotational symmetry, being in the Euclidean plane for n=6, and hyperbolic plane for any higher n. The series can be considered to begin with n=2, with one set of faces degenerated into digons.

6-fold pentille tiling

In geometry, the 6-fold pentille or floret pentagonal tiling is a dual semiregular tiling of the Euclidean plane. It is one of the 15 known isohedral pentagon tilings. Its six pentagonal tiles radiate out from a central point, like petals on a flower. Each of its pentagonal faces has four 120° and one 60° angle.

It is the dual of the uniform snub trihexagonal tiling, and has rotational symmetries of orders 6-3-2 symmetry.
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Variations

The floret pentagonal tiling has geometric variations with unequal edge lengths and rotational symmetry, which is given as monohedral pentagonal tiling type 5. In one limit, an edge-length goes to zero and it becomes a deltoidal trihexagonal tiling.

Related k-uniform and dual k-uniform tilings

There are many ''k''-uniform tilings whose duals mix the 6-fold florets with other tiles; for example, labeling F for V3⁴.6, C for V3².4.3.4, B for V3³.4², H for V3⁶:

Fractalization

Replacing every V3⁶ hexagon by a rhombitrihexagon furnishes a 6-uniform tiling, two vertices of 4.6.12 and two vertices of 3.4.6.4.

Replacing every V3⁶ hexagon by a truncated hexagon furnishes a 8-uniform tiling, five vertices of 3².12, two vertices of 3.4.3.12, and one vertex of 3.4.6.4.

Replacing every V3⁶ hexagon by a truncated trihexagon furnishes a 15-uniform tiling, twelve vertices of 4.6.12, two vertices of 3.4².6, and one vertex of 3.4.6.4.

In each fractal tiling, every vertex in a floret pentagonal domain is in a different orbit since there is no chiral symmetry (the domains have 3:2 side lengths of $1+\frac:2+\frac$ in the rhombitrihexagonal; $1+\frac:2+\frac$ in the truncated hexagonal; and $1+\sqrt:2+2\sqrt$ in the truncated trihexagonal).

Related tilings

See also

* Tilings of regular polygons
* List of uniform tilings

References

* John H. Conway, Heidi Burgiel, Chaim Goodman-Strauss, ''The Symmetries of Things'' 2008,

* (Chapter 2.1: ''Regular and uniform tilings'', p. 58-65)
* p. 39
* Keith Critchlow, ''Order in Space: A design source book'', 1970, p. 69-61, Pattern R, Dual p. 77-76, pattern 5
* Dale Seymour and Jill Britton, ''Introduction to Tessellations'', 1989, , pp. 50–56, dual rosette tiling p. 96, p. 114

External links

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{{Tessellation

Chiral figures
Euclidean tilings
Isogonal tilings
Semiregular tilings
Snub tilings