O.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

For n > 3, describe elements of Dn. need to consider two cases: n = even, n = odd. Also, how many elements
does Dn have?

11Equation Section (Next)I. MY PROOF

Count the elements. We see, already, that we need to consider n = even, n = odd: separately.

Even “n”
Okay: squares, hexagons, octagons, etc, and in general an (n=even)-gon has n/2 flip-about-a-vertex-bisecting-
axis symmetry. (How do you prove that?). So: elements for “n” even are:
Dneven   R(360/ n )i mod 360 , FVBi 1mod(( n /2) 1) 
i 1,2,3... n
212\* MERGEFORMAT [.]

Try for a square: n = 4:

Dn 4   R90i mod 360 , FVB( i 1) mod 3

i 1,2,3,4

  R90 , R180 , R270 , R360 , FVB

1mod 3
, FVB2 mod 3 , FVB3mod 3 , FVB4 mod 3 

D4   e, R90 , R180 , R270 , FVB

1
, FVB2 
313\* MERGEFORMAT
[.]
Stupid “mod” technicalities…:-p

Odd “n”
I think odd-n is a little simpler. The vertex-flips are no longer “degenerate”:
Dnodd   R90i mod 360 , FVBi mod n 
i 1,2... n
414\* MERGEFORMAT [.]

Test it out on pentagon, D5:

D5   R90i mod 360 , FVB( i 1) mod( n 1)    R72 , R144 , R216 , R288 , R360 , FVB1 , FVB2 , FVB3 , FVB4 , FVB4 
i 1,2,3,4,5
515\*
MERGEFORMAT [.]

The answer: okay, the group Dn has “n” rotations and “n” reflections, so the group is of ordre 2n, always.
However, for n-odd, the axes of flip-symmetries start at vertices and wind up bisecting a side. For n-even, the
axes of flip-symmetries have n/2 that are vertex-to-vertex, and n/2 that are midpoint-to-midpoint:

616\*
MERGEFORMAT [.]
So you can see the flip-symmetries quite graphically here in Error: Reference source not found.