Schwarz lantern

noun

A polyhedral approximation to a cylinder (formed by stacked rings of isosceles triangles, arranged within each ring in the same pattern as an antiprism), used as a pathological example of the difficulty of defining the area of a smooth (curved) surface as the limit of the areas of polyhedra.

Similar
Chinese lanternSchwarz's polyhedron
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Meanings

nounSchwarz lantern (plural Schwarz lanterns)

plural Schwarz lanterns

  1. mathematicsA polyhedral approximation to a cylinder (formed by stacked rings of isosceles triangles, arranged within each ring in the same pattern as an antiprism), used as a pathological example of the difficulty of defining the area of a smooth (curved) surface as the limit of the areas of polyhedra.

    Synonyms: Chinese lantern, Schwarz's polyhedron

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA polyhedral approximation to a cylinder (formed by stacked rings of isosceles triangles, arranged within each ring in the same pattern as an antiprism), used as a pathological example of the difficulty of defining the area of a smooth (curved) surface as the limit of the areas of polyhedra.

Similar
Chinese lanternSchwarz's polyhedron
Also see
chinese lantern

Origin

Named after mathematician Hermann Schwarz and for its resemblance to a cylindrical paper lantern.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Schwarz lantern. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwarz%20lantern

MLA

“Schwarz lantern.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwarz%20lantern. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Schwarz lantern,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Schwarz%20lantern.

Source: Schwarz lantern on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.