The main result of this chapter is that the bilinear form associated to a Coxeter system is always positive definite. In Chapter 8, we shall use the positive definiteness of this bilinear form to classify both finite Coxeter systems and finite Euclidean reflection groups.
Let `x3o3o..o3o4o` ($n$ nodes) be the $n$-D Coxeter-Dynkin diagram of the according regular cross-polytope or orthoplex. Then clearly `x3o3o...o3o .` ($n-1$ nodes) is the $(n-1)$-D Coxeter-Dynkin diagram of its (all equivalent) facets, then each being according regular simplices.
Note further that the opposite facet here generally happens to be a dually arranged simplex. As a Coxeter-Dynkin diagram this is just `o3o3o...o3x` (again $n-1$ nodes).
Further those two opposite facets (as bases) are connected by further simplexes (as sides), thus generalising the structure of an antiprism.
Esp. the facet parallel cross-section of the orthoplex then is given by `y3o3o...o3z` (still $n-1$ nodes), where those two edge sizes are related to the former by $z=x-y$.
And these extremally expanded simplexes `x3o3o...o3x` ($n-1$ nodes) generally do have $n!/(n-3)!$ edges, i.e. the here half-symmetric variant `y3o3o...o3z` would have $\frac12 n!/(n-3)!$ edges of size $y$ plus $\frac12 n!/(n-3)!$ edges of size $z=x-y$. This in turn makes clear that the total sum of edge length (in units of length $x$) is just $\frac12 n!/(n-3)!$, independent of sectioning depth (as long as neither $y$ nor $z$ are degenerate).
In contrast, the edge count of the regular $(n-1)$-D simplex `x3o3o...o3o`, i.e. the facet of the orthoplex, clearly is $\frac12 n!/(n-2)!$.