Definition:Symmetry Group of Regular Pentagon
Group Example
Let $\PP = ABCDE$ be a regular pentagon.
The various symmetry mappings of $\PP$ are:
- the identity mapping $e$
- the rotations $r, r^2, r^3, r^4$ of $72^\circ, 144^\circ, 216^\circ, 288^\circ$ around the center of $\PP$ anticlockwise respectively
- the reflections $t_A, t_B, t_C, t_D, t_E$ in the lines through the center of $\PP$ and the vertices $A$ to $E$ respectively.
This group is known as the symmetry group of the regular pentagon.
Cayley Table
The Cayley table of the symmetry group of the regular pentagon can be written:
- $\begin {array} {c|cccccc}
\circ & e & r & r^2 & r^3 & r^4 & t_A & t_B & t_C & t_D & t_E \\ \hline e & e & r & r^2 & r^3 & r^4 & t_A & t_B & t_C & t_D & t_E \\ r & r & r^2 & r^3 & r^4 & e & t_C & t_D & t_E & t_A & t_B \\ r^2 & r^2 & r^3 & r^4 & e & r & t_E & t_A & t_B & t_C & t_D \\ r^3 & r^3 & r^4 & e & r & r^2 & t_B & t_C & t_D & t_E & t_A \\ r^4 & r^4 & e & r & r^2 & r^3 & t_D & t_E & t_A & t_B & t_C \\ t_A & t_A & t_D & t_B & t_E & t_C & e & r^2 & r^4 & r & r^3 \\ t_B & t_B & t_E & t_C & t_A & t_D & r^3 & e & r^2 & r^4 & r \\ t_C & t_C & t_A & t_D & t_B & t_E & r & r^3 & e & r^2 & r^4 \\ t_D & t_D & t_B & t_E & t_C & t_A & r^4 & r & r^3 & e & r^2 \\ t_E & t_E & t_C & t_A & t_D & t_B & r^2 & r^4 & r & r^3 & e \\ \end {array}$
Also known as
The symmetry group of the regular pentagon is also known as:
- the dihedral group of order $10$ and denoted $D_5$
Some sources denote $D_5$ as ${D_5}^*$.
Also see
- Results about Symmetry Group of Regular Pentagon can be found here.