Connor Hill
Delta High School
State College, PA
The Complete Set of Noble Polyhedra
Connor Hill, 17, of Port Matilda, created a full list of the mathematical shapes called “noble polyhedra” for his Regeneron Science Talent Search mathematics project.
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A polyhedron is a shape with flat sides and straight edges, such as a cube or a pyramid. In a noble polyhedron, all the faces are the same shape, and the angles at each corner are the same. By 2020, mathematicians knew of two infinite families of noble polyhedra and 61 isolated examples. However, they thought there were probably more noble polyhedra out there. In his project, Connor wrote a computer program to work through all the conceivable ways to build a noble polyhedron.
He concluded that in addition to the two known infinite families, there are 146 noble polyhedra. Connor hopes that his program can be used to find other shapes, such as those made by interconnecting multiple polyhedra.
The child of Nikki and Brian Hill, Connor attends Delta High School (State College). He is a nature enthusiast who has particularly enjoyed summer trips to Costa Rica and to California’s redwood forests.
Beyond the Project
Connor runs a community-based segment on his school news program called Survey News. Last year, Survey News ran a year-long mystery game where students had to guess who at the school had been cloned.
FUN FACTS: Connor volunteers at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center’s summer camp. He also practices juggling several hours a week.
