Editing Triangular bipyramid (section)

== Applications ==
[[File:N 2 to 5 ThomsonSolutions.png|The known solution of the Thomson problem, with one a triangular bipyramid|alt=Four circles, with geometric figures inside them|thumb|upright]]
The [[Thomson problem]] concerns the minimum energy configuration of charged particles on a sphere. A triangular bipyramid is a known solution in the case of five electrons, placing vertices of a triangular bipyramid [[Circumscribed sphere|within a sphere]].{{r|shdc}} This solution is aided by a mathematically rigorous computer.{{r|schwartz}}

A [[chemical compound]]'s [[trigonal bipyramidal molecular geometry]] may be described as the [[atom cluster]] of a triangular bipyramid. This molecule has a [[main-group element]] without an active [[lone pair]], described by a model which predicts the geometry of molecules known as [[VSEPR theory]].{{r|phf}} Examples of this structure include [[phosphorus pentafluoride]] and [[phosphorus pentachloride]] in the gaseous [[Phase (matter)|phase]].{{r|housecroft}}

In [[color theory]], the triangular bipyramid was used to represent the three-dimensional [[Primary color#Color order systems|color-order system in primary colors]]. German astronomer [[Tobias Mayer]] wrote in 1758 that each of its vertices represents a color: white and black are the top and bottom axial vertices, respectively, and the rest of the vertices are red, blue, and yellow.{{r|kuehni-2003|kuehni-2013}}
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