Square tiling

Square tiling

Type	Regular tiling
Vertex configuration	4.4.4.4 (or 4⁴)
Face configuration	V4.4.4.4 (or V4⁴)
Schläfli symbol(s)	{4,4} {∞}×{∞}
Wythoff symbol(s)	4 \| 2 4
Coxeter diagram(s)
Symmetry	p4m, [4,4], (*442)
Rotation symmetry	p4, [4,4]⁺, (442)
Dual	self-dual
Properties	Vertex-transitive, edge-transitive, face-transitive

In geometry, the square tiling, square tessellation or square grid is a regular tiling of the Euclidean plane. It has Schläfli symbol of ${4,4},$ meaning it has 4 squares around every vertex. Conway called it a quadrille.

The internal angle of the square is 90 degrees so four squares at a point make a full 360 degrees. It is one of three regular tilings of the plane. The other two are the triangular tiling and the hexagonal tiling.

Uniform colorings

There are 9 distinct uniform colorings of a square tiling. Naming the colors by indices on the 4 squares around a vertex: 1111, 1112(i), 1112(ii), 1122, 1123(i), 1123(ii), 1212, 1213, 1234. (i) cases have simple reflection symmetry, and (ii) glide reflection symmetry. Three can be seen in the same symmetry domain as reduced colorings: 1112_i from 1213, 1123_i from 1234, and 1112_ii reduced from 1123_ii.

9 uniform colorings
1111	1212	1213	1112_i	1122

p4m (*442)		p4m (*442)		pmm (*2222)
1234	1123_i	1123_ii	1112_ii

pmm (*2222)		cmm (2*22)

Related polyhedra and tilings

This tiling is topologically related as a part of sequence of regular polyhedra and tilings, extending into the hyperbolic plane: {4,p}, p=3,4,5...

*n42 symmetry mutation of regular tilings: {4,n} v t e
Spherical	Euclidean	Compact hyperbolic				Paracompact
{4,3}	{4,4}	{4,5}	{4,6}	{4,7}	{4,8}...	{4,∞}

This tiling is also topologically related as a part of sequence of regular polyhedra and tilings with four faces per vertex, starting with the octahedron, with Schläfli symbol {n,4}, and Coxeter diagram , with n progressing to infinity.

*n42 symmetry mutation of regular tilings: {n,4} v t e
Spherical		Euclidean	Hyperbolic tilings

2⁴	3⁴	4⁴	5⁴	6⁴	7⁴	8⁴	...∞⁴

*n42 symmetry mutations of quasiregular dual tilings: V(4.n)²
Symmetry *4n2 [n,4]	Spherical	Euclidean	Compact hyperbolic				Paracompact	Noncompact
Symmetry *4n2 [n,4]	*342 [3,4]	*442 [4,4]	*542 [5,4]	*642 [6,4]	*742 [7,4]	*842 [8,4]...	*∞42 [∞,4]	[iπ/λ,4]
Tiling Conf.	V4.3.4.3	V4.4.4.4	V4.5.4.5	V4.6.4.6	V4.7.4.7	V4.8.4.8	V4.∞.4.∞	V4.∞.4.∞

*n42 symmetry mutation of expanded tilings: n.4.4.4 v t e
Symmetry [n,4], (*n42)	Spherical	Euclidean	Compact hyperbolic				Paracomp.
Symmetry [n,4], (*n42)	*342 [3,4]	*442 [4,4]	*542 [5,4]	*642 [6,4]	*742 [7,4]	*842 [8,4]	*∞42 [∞,4]
Expanded figures
Config.	3.4.4.4	4.4.4.4	5.4.4.4	6.4.4.4	7.4.4.4	8.4.4.4	∞.4.4.4
Rhombic figures config.	V3.4.4.4	V4.4.4.4	V5.4.4.4	V6.4.4.4	V7.4.4.4	V8.4.4.4	V∞.4.4.4

Wythoff constructions from square tiling

Like the uniform polyhedra there are eight uniform tilings that can be based from the regular square tiling.

Drawing the tiles colored as red on the original faces, yellow at the original vertices, and blue along the original edges, all 8 forms are distinct. However treating faces identically, there are only three topologically distinct forms: square tiling, truncated square tiling, snub square tiling.

Uniform tilings based on square tiling symmetry v t e
Symmetry: [4,4], (*442)							[4,4]⁺, (442)	[4,4⁺], (4*2)


{4,4}	t{4,4}	r{4,4}	t{4,4}	{4,4}	rr{4,4}	tr{4,4}	sr{4,4}	s{4,4}
Uniform duals


V4.4.4.4	V4.8.8	V4.4.4.4	V4.8.8	V4.4.4.4	V4.4.4.4	V4.8.8	V3.3.4.3.4

Topologically equivalent tilings

Other quadrilateral tilings can be made which are topologically equivalent to the square tiling (4 quads around every vertex).

Isohedral tilings have identical faces (face-transitivity) and vertex-transitivity, there are 18 variations, with 6 identified as triangles that do not connect edge-to-edge, or as quadrilateral with two collinear edges. Symmetry given assumes all faces are the same color.^[1]

Isohedral quadrilateral tilings
Square p4m, (*442)	Rectangle pmm, (*2222)	Parallelogram p2, (2222)	Parallelogram pmg, (22*)	Rhombus cmm, (2*22)


Trapezoid cmm, (2*22)	Quadrilateral pgg, (22×)	Kite pmg, (22*)	Quadrilateral pgg, (22×)	Quadrilateral p2, (2222)

Degenerate quadrilaterals or non-edge-to-edge triangles
Isosceles pmg, (22*)	Isosceles pgg, (22×)		Scalene pgg, (22×)		Scalene p2, (2222)

Circle packing

The square tiling can be used as a circle packing, placing equal diameter circles at the center of every point. Every circle is in contact with 4 other circles in the packing (kissing number).^[2] The packing density is π/4=78.54% coverage. There are 4 uniform colorings of the circle packings.

Related regular complex apeirogons

There are 3 regular complex apeirogons, sharing the vertices of the square tiling. Regular complex apeirogons have vertices and edges, where edges can contain 2 or more vertices. Regular apeirogons p{q}r are constrained by: 1/p + 2/q + 1/r = 1. Edges have p vertices, and vertex figures are r-gonal.^[3]

Self-dual	Duals

4{4}4 or	2{8}4 or	4{8}2 or

References

^ Tilings and patterns, from list of 107 isohedral tilings, p.473-481
^ Order in Space: A design source book, Keith Critchlow, p.74-75, circle pattern 3
^ Coxeter, Regular Complex Polytopes, pp. 111-112, p. 136.

Coxeter, H.S.M. Regular Polytopes, (3rd edition, 1973), Dover edition, ISBN 0-486-61480-8 p. 296, Table II: Regular honeycombs
Klitzing, Richard. "2D Euclidean tilings o4o4x - squat - O1".
Williams, Robert (1979). The Geometrical Foundation of Natural Structure: A Source Book of Design. Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-486-23729-X. p36
Grünbaum, Branko; Shephard, G. C. (1987). Tilings and Patterns. New York: W. H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-1193-1. (Chapter 2.1: Regular and uniform tilings, p. 58-65)
John H. Conway, Heidi Burgiel, Chaim Goodman-Strauss, The Symmetries of Things 2008, ISBN 978-1-56881-220-5 [1]

External links

v t e Fundamental convex regular and uniform honeycombs in dimensions 2–9
Space	Family	${\tilde {A}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {C}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {B}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {D}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {G}}_{2}$ / ${\tilde {F}}_{4}$ / ${\tilde {E}}_{n-1}$
E²	Uniform tiling	0_[3]	δ₃	hδ₃	qδ₃	Hexagonal
E³	Uniform convex honeycomb	0_[4]	δ₄	hδ₄	qδ₄
E⁴	Uniform 4-honeycomb	0_[5]	δ₅	hδ₅	qδ₅	24-cell honeycomb
E⁵	Uniform 5-honeycomb	0_[6]	δ₆	hδ₆	qδ₆
E⁶	Uniform 6-honeycomb	0_[7]	δ₇	hδ₇	qδ₇	2₂₂
E⁷	Uniform 7-honeycomb	0_[8]	δ₈	hδ₈	qδ₈	1₃₃ • 3₃₁
E⁸	Uniform 8-honeycomb	0_[9]	δ₉	hδ₉	qδ₉	1₅₂ • 2₅₁ • 5₂₁
E⁹	Uniform 9-honeycomb	0_[10]	δ₁₀	hδ₁₀	qδ₁₀
E¹⁰	Uniform 10-honeycomb	0_[11]	δ₁₁	hδ₁₁	qδ₁₁
E^n-1	Uniform (n-1)-honeycomb	0_[n]	δ_n	hδ_n	qδ_n	1_k2 • 2_k1 • k₂₁

[1] Tilings and patterns, from list of 107 isohedral tilings, p.473-481

[Critchlow-2] Order in Space: A design source book, Keith Critchlow, p.74-75, circle pattern 3

[3] Coxeter, Regular Complex Polytopes, pp. 111-112, p. 136.

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