Editing 24-cell (section)

=== Reflections ===
The 24-cell can be [[#Tetrahedral constructions|constructed by the reflections of its characteristic 5-cell]] in its own facets (its tetrahedral mirror walls).{{Efn|The reflecting surface of a (3-dimensional) polyhedron consists of 2-dimensional faces; the reflecting surface of a (4-dimensional) [[polychoron]] consists of 3-dimensional cells.}} Reflections and rotations are related: a reflection in an ''even'' number of ''intersecting'' mirrors is a rotation.{{Sfn|Coxeter|1973|pp=33-38|loc=§3.1 Congruent transformations}} Consequently, regular polytopes can be generated by reflections or by rotations. For example, any [[#Isoclinic rotations|720° isoclinic rotation]] of the 24-cell in a hexagonal invariant plane takes ''each'' of the 24 vertices to and through 5 other vertices and back to itself, on a skew [[#Helical hexagrams and their isoclines|hexagram<sub>2</sub> geodesic isocline]] that winds twice around the 3-sphere on every ''second'' vertex of the hexagram. Any set of [[#The 3 Cartesian bases of the 24-cell|four orthogonal pairs of antipodal vertices]] (the 8 vertices of one of the [[#Relationships among interior polytopes|three inscribed 16-cells]]) performing ''half'' such an orbit visits 3 * 8 = 24 distinct vertices and [[#Clifford parallel polytopes|generates the 24-cell]] sequentially in 3 steps of a single 360° isoclinic rotation, just as any single characteristic 5-cell reflecting itself in its own mirror walls generates the 24 vertices simultaneously by reflection.

Tracing the orbit of ''one'' such 16-cell vertex during the 360° isoclinic rotation reveals more about the relationship between reflections and rotations as generative operations.{{Efn|<blockquote>Let Q denote a rotation, R a reflection, T a translation, and let Q<sup>''q''</sup> R<sup>''r''</sup> T denote a product of several such transformations, all commutative with one another. Then RT is a glide-reflection (in two or three dimensions), QR is a rotary-reflection, QT is a screw-displacement, and Q<sup>2</sup> is a double rotation (in four dimensions).<br><br>Every orthogonal transformation is expressible as {{indent|12}}Q<sup>''q''</sup> R<sup>''r''</sup><br>where 2''q'' + ''r'' ≤ ''n'', the number of dimensions. Transformations involving a translation are expressible as {{indent|12}}Q<sup>''q''</sup> R<sup>''r''</sup> T<br>where 2''q'' + ''r'' + 1 ≤ ''n''.<br><br>For ''n'' {{=}} 4 in particular, every displacement is either a double rotation Q<sup>2</sup>, or a screw-displacement QT (where the rotation component Q is a simple rotation). Every enantiomorphous transformation in 4-space (reversing chirality) is a QRT.{{Sfn|Coxeter|1973|pp=217-218|loc=§12.2 Congruent transformations}}</blockquote>|name=transformations}} The vertex follows an [[#Helical hexagrams and their isoclines|isocline]] (a doubly curved geodesic circle) rather than an ordinary great circle.{{Efn|name=360 degree geodesic path visiting 3 hexagonal planes}} The isocline connects vertices two edge lengths apart, but curves away from the great circle path over the two edges connecting those vertices, missing the vertex in between.{{Efn|name=isocline misses vertex}} Although the isocline does not follow any one great circle, it is contained within a ring of another kind: in the 24-cell it stays within a [[#6-cell rings|6-cell ring]] of spherical{{Sfn|Coxeter|1973|p=138|ps=; "We allow the Schläfli symbol {p,..., v} to have three different meanings: a Euclidean polytope, a spherical polytope, and a spherical honeycomb. This need not cause any confusion, so long as the situation is frankly recognized. The differences are clearly seen in the concept of dihedral angle."}} octahedral cells, intersecting one vertex in each cell, and passing through the volume of two adjacent cells near the missed vertex.