Editing 24-cell (section)

==== Hypercubic chords ====
[[File:24-cell vertex geometry.png|thumb|Vertex geometry of the radially equilateral{{Efn||name=radially equilateral|group=}} 24-cell, showing the 3 great circle polygons and the 4 vertex-to-vertex chord lengths.|alt=]]
The 24 vertices of the 24-cell are distributed{{Sfn|Coxeter|1973|p=298|loc=Table V: The Distribution of Vertices of Four-Dimensional Polytopes in Parallel Solid Sections (§13.1); (i) Sections of {3,4,3} (edge 2) beginning with a vertex; see column ''a''|5=}} at four different [[Chord (geometry)|chord]] lengths from each other: {{sqrt|1}}, {{sqrt|2}},  {{sqrt|3}} and {{sqrt|4}}. The {{sqrt|1}} chords (the 24-cell edges) are the edges of central hexagons, and the {{sqrt|3}} chords are the diagonals of central hexagons. The {{sqrt|2}} chords are the edges of central squares, and the {{sqrt|4}} chords are the diagonals of central squares.

Each vertex is joined to 8 others{{Efn|The 8 nearest neighbor vertices surround the vertex (in the curved 3-dimensional space of the 24-cell's boundary surface) the way a cube's 8 corners surround its center. (The [[vertex figure]] of the 24-cell is a cube.)|name=8 nearest vertices}} by an edge of length 1, spanning 60° = <small>{{sfrac|{{pi}}|3}}</small> of arc. Next nearest are 6 vertices{{Efn|The 6 second-nearest neighbor vertices surround the vertex in curved 3-dimensional space the way an octahedron's 6 corners surround its center.|name=6 second-nearest vertices}} located 90° = <small>{{sfrac|{{pi}}|2}}</small> away, along an interior chord of length {{sqrt|2}}. Another 8 vertices lie 120° = <small>{{sfrac|2{{pi}}|3}}</small> away, along an interior chord of length {{sqrt|3}}.{{Efn|name=nearest isoclinic vertices are {{radic|3}} away in third surrounding shell}} The opposite vertex is 180° = <small>{{pi}}</small> away along a diameter of length 2. Finally, as the 24-cell is radially equilateral, its center is 1 edge length away from all vertices.

To visualize how the interior polytopes of the 24-cell fit together (as described [[#Constructions|below]]), keep in mind that the four chord lengths ({{sqrt|1}}, {{sqrt|2}}, {{sqrt|3}}, {{sqrt|4}}) are the long diameters of the [[hypercube]]s of dimensions 1 through 4: the long diameter of the square is {{sqrt|2}}; the long diameter of the cube is {{sqrt|3}}; and the long diameter of the tesseract is {{sqrt|4}}.{{Efn|Thus ({{sqrt|1}}, {{sqrt|2}}, {{sqrt|3}}, {{sqrt|4}}) are the vertex chord lengths of the tesseract as well as of the 24-cell. They are also the diameters of the tesseract (from short to long), though not of the 24-cell.}} Moreover, the long diameter of the octahedron is {{sqrt|2}} like the square; and the long diameter of the 24-cell itself is {{sqrt|4}} like the tesseract.