A uniform rationale for Whitney forms on various supporting shapes

A method for constructing Whitney forms is proposed, which applies to tetrahedra, hexahedra, triangular prisms, and pyramids in a similar way, and proceeds from a unique generating principle, thus unifying their presentation. The principle automatically enforces conformity (i.e., “tangential” or “normal continuity” of the elementary proxy fields) at element interfaces, and generates a complex of forms with the “exact sequence property” built in.