Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2014
A rational polyhedron$P\subseteq {\mathbb{R^n}}$ is a finite union of simplexes in
${\mathbb{R^n}}$ with rational vertices. P is said to be
$\mathbb Z$-homeomorphic to the rational polyhedron
$Q\subseteq {\mathbb{R^{\it m}}}$ if there is a piecewise linear homeomorphism η of P onto Q such that each linear piece of η and η−1 has integer coefficients. When n=m,
$\mathbb Z$-homeomorphism amounts to continuous
$\mathcal{G}_n$-equidissectability, where
$\mathcal{G}_n=GL(n,\mathbb Z) \ltimes \mathbb Z^{n}$ is the affine group over the integers, i.e., the group of all affinities on
$\mathbb{R^{n}}$ that leave the lattice
$\mathbb Z^{n}$ invariant.
$\mathcal{G}_n$ yields a geometry on the set of rational polyhedra. For each d=0,1,2,. . ., we define a rational measure λd on the set of rational polyhedra, and show that any two
$\mathbb Z$-homeomorphic rational polyhedra
$$P\subseteq {\mathbb{R^n}}$$ and
$Q\subseteq {\mathbb{R^{\it m}}}$ satisfy
$\lambda_d(P)=\lambda_d(Q)$. $\lambda_n(P)$ coincides with the n-dimensional Lebesgue measure of P. If 0 ≤ dim P=d < n then λd(P)>0. For rational d-simplexes T lying in the same d-dimensional affine subspace of
${\mathbb{R^{\it n}}, $\lambda_d(T)$$ is proportional to the d-dimensional Hausdorff measure of T. We characterize λd among all unimodular invariant valuations.