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This PDF contains :
A Short History of Geometry,
Babylonian Geometry,
Egyptian Geometry,
Early Chinese Geometry,
Vedic Geometry,
Early Greek Geometers.
1.
MA 341
Topics in Geometry
Dr. David Royster
david.royster@uky.edu
Patterson Office Tower 759
2.
Spotted on the back of a t-shirt worn by
LAPD Bomb Squad:
If you see me running,
try to keep up!
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3.
Syllabus and Course Outline
BlackBoard: http://elearning.uky.edu
3 tests & final
Weekly homework
Assignments are all on Blackboard to be downloaded.
Software: Geogebra (http://www.geogebra.org)
Free and available for Windows, Mac, Linux
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4.
A Short History of Geometry
Geometry - a collection of empirically discovered
principles about lengths, angles, areas, and volumes
developed to meet practical need in surveying,
construction, astronomy, navigation
Earliest records traced to early peoples in the
ancient Indus Valley (Harappan Civilization), and
ancient Babylonia from around 3000 BCE.
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5.
A Short History of Geometry
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6.
A Short History of Geometry
The Indus Valley Civilization - a Bronze Age civilization
(3300–1300 BCE; mature period 2600–1900 BCE)
Centered mostly western Indian Subcontinent.
Primarily centered along the Indus and the Punjab
region, the civilization extended into most of what is
now Pakistan, as well as extending into the
westernmost states of modern-day India,
southeastern Afghanistan and the easternmost part
of Iran.
The mature phase of this civilization is known as the
Harappan Civilization, as the first of its cities to be
unearthed was the one at Harappa,
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7.
Babylonian Geometry
Some general rules for measuring areas and volumes.
Circumference of a circle = 3 times the diameter
area as one-twelfth the square of the circumference
The volume of a cylinder = product of base & height
Knew a type of the Pythagorean theorem
Knew of theorems on the ratios of the sides of
similar triangles
Had a trigonometry table
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8.
Egyptian Geometry
Egyptians had a correct formula for the volume of a
frustum of a square pyramid
Area of Circle ≈ [ (Diameter) x 8/9 ]2.
Makes π is 4×(8/9)² (or 3.160493...) with an error of
slightly over 0.63 percent.
Was not surpassed until Archimedes' approximation of
211875/67441 = 3.14163, which had an error of just
over 1 in 10,000
Also knew a type of Pythagorean theorem
Extremely accurate in construction, making the right
angles in the Great Pyramid of Giza accurate to one
part in 27,000
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9.
Early Chinese Geometry
Zhoubi suanjing (The Arithmetical Classic of the
Gnomon and the Circular Paths of Heaven) (c.
100 BCE-c. 100 AD)
• States and uses Pythagorean theorem for
surveying, astronomy, etc. Also a proof of
Pythagorean theorem.
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10.
Early Chinese Geometry
The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art (Jiuzhang
Suanshu) (c. 100 BCE-50 AD)
• areas of plane figures, square, rectangle, triangle,
trapezoid, circle, circle segment, sphere segment,
annulus - some accurate, some approximations.
• Construction consultations: volumes of cube, rectangular
parallelepiped, prism frustums, pyramid, triangular
pyramid, tetrahedron, cylinder, cone, and conic frustum,
sphere -- some approximations, some use π=3
• Right triangles: applications of Pythagorean theorem and
similar triangles
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11.
Early Chinese Geometry
• Liu Hui (c. 263)
– Approximates π by approximating circles
polygons, doubling the number of sides to
get better approximations. From 96 and 192
sided polygons, he approximates π as
3.141014 and suggested 3.14 as a practical
approx.
– States principle of exhaustion for circles
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12.
Early Chinese Geometry
• Zu Chongzhi (429-500) Astronomer,
mathematician, engineer.
– Determined π to 7 digits: 3.1415926. Recommended
use 355/113 for close approx. and 22/7 for rough
approx.
– Found accurate formula for volume of a sphere.
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13.
Vedic Geometry
• The Satapatha Brahmana (9th century BCE)
contains rules for ritual geometric
constructions that are similar to the Sulba
Sutras.
• The Śulba Sūtras (c. 700-400 BCE) list rules
for the construction of sacrificial fire altars
leading to the Pythagorean theorem.
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14.
Vedic Geometry
• Bakhshali manuscript contains some geometric
problems about volumes of irregular solids
• Aryabhata's Aryabhatiya (499 AD) includes the
computation of areas and volumes.
• Brahmagupta wrote his work Brāhma Sphuṭa
Siddhānta in 628 CE included more geometric
areas
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Vedic Geometry
• Brahmagupta
wrote his work
Brāhma Sphuṭa
Siddhānta in 628
AD included more
geometric areas
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16.
Early Greek Geometers
Thales of Miletus
(624-547 BCE)
• A circle is bisected by any
diameter.
• The base angles of an
isosceles triangle are equal.
• The angles between two
intersecting straight lines are
equal.
• Two triangles are congruent if
they have two angles and one
side equal.
• An angle inscribed in a
semicircle is a right angle.
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17.
Pythagorus of Samos (569–475 BC)
First to deduce logically
geometric facts from
basic principles
Angles of a triangle sum to
180
Pythagorean Theorem for
a right-angled triangles
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18.
Hippocrates of Chios
(470-410 BCE)
Geometric solutions to quadratic
equations
Early methods of integration
Studied classic problem of squaring the
circle showing how to square a lune.
Worked on duplicating the cube which
he showed equivalent to
constructing two mean proportionals
between a number and its double.
First to show that ratio of areas of two
circles was equal to the ratio of the
squares of the radii.
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19.
Plato (427-347 BCE)
Founded “The Academy” in
387 BC which flourished
until 529 AD.
Developed a theory of Forms,
in his book Phaedo, which
considers mathematical
objects as perfect forms
(such as a line having
length but no breadth)
Emphasized idea of proof and
insisted on accurate
definitions and clear
hypotheses, paving the
way for Euclid
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20.
Theætetus of Athens (417-369 BCE)
Student of Plato’s
Creator of solid
geometry
First to study
octahedron and
icosahedron, and
construct all five
Platonic solids
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21.
Eudoxus of Cnidus (408-355 BCE)
Developed a precursor to
algebra by developing a
theory of proportion
Early work on integration
using his method of
exhaustion by which he
determined the area of
circles and the volumes
of pyramids and cones.
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22.
Menaechmus (380-320 BCE)
Pupil of Eudoxus
Discovered the conic
sections
First to show that ellipses,
parabolas, and
hyperbolas are
obtained by cutting a
cone in a plane not
parallel to the base.
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23.
Euclid of Alexandria (325-265 BCE)
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24.
Euclid’s Axioms
Let the following be postulated
1. To draw a straight line from any point to any point.
2. To produce a finite straight line continuously in a straight line.
3. To describe a circle with any center and distance.
4. That all right angles are equal to one another.
5. That, if a straight line falling on two straight lines make the
interior angles on the same side less than two right angles, the
two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet on that side
on which are the angles less than two right angles. (Euclid’s
Parallel Postulate)
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25.
Euclid’s Common Notions
Things that are equal to the same thing are also equal to one
another.
It equals be added to equals, the wholes are equal.
If equals be subtracted from equals, the remainders are equal.
Things which coincide with one another are equal to one another.
The whole is greater than the part.
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26.
Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE)
A lot of work on
geometry but stayed
away from questions on
Euclid V
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27.
Apollonius of Perga (262-190 BC)
The Great Geometer
Famous work was Conics
consisting of 8 Books
Tangencies - showed how
to construct the circle
which is tangent to three
objects
Computed an
approximation for π
better than Archimedes.
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28.
Hipparchus of Rhodes (190-120 BC)
Systematically used and
documented foundations of
Published several books of
trigonometric tables and
the methods for calculating
Based tables on dividing a
circle into 360 degrees
with each degree divided
into 60 minutes
Applied trigonometry to
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29.
Heron of Alexandria (10-75 AD)
Wrote Metrica which gives
methods for computing
areas and volumes
Book I considers areas of
plane figures and surfaces
of 3D objects, and
contains his formula for
area of a triangle
Book II considers volumes
of three-dimensional
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30.
Menelaus of Alexandria (70-130 AD)
Developed spherical
geometry
Applied spherical
geometry to
astronomy; Dealt with
spherical
trigonometry
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31.
Claudius Ptolemy (85-165 AD)
Almagest - Latin form of
shortened title “al mijisti”
of Arabic title “al-kitabu-
l-mijisti”, meaning “The
Great Book”.
Gave math for geocentric
theory of planetary
motion
One of the great
masterpieces of early
mathematical and
scientific works
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32.
Pappus of Alexandria (290-350 AD)
Last of great Greek
geometers.
Major work in geometry is
Synagoge - a handbook on
a wide variety of topics:
arithmetic, mean
proportionals, geometrical
paradoxes, regular
polyhedra, the spiral and
quadratrix, trisection,
honeycombs, semiregular
solids, minimal surfaces,
astronomy, and mechanics
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33.
Posidonius (1st century BC)
Proposed to replace
definition of parallel lines
by defining them as
coplanar lines that are
everywhere equidistant
from one another
Without Euclid V you
cannot prove such lines
exist
Also true that statement
that parallel lines are
equidistant from one
another is equivalent to
Euclid V.
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34.
Euclid’s Axioms – Modern Version
Ptolemy followed with a proof that used the following assumption:
For every line l and every point P not on l, there exists at most one
line m through P such that l is parallel to m.
This is equivalent to Euclid V!!
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35.
Proclus (410-485 AD)
Used a limiting process.
Retained all of Euclid’s
definitions, all of his
assumptions except Euclid V.
Plan (1) prove on this basis that
a line which meets one of two
parallels also meets the other,
and
(2) to deduce Euclid V from this
proposition.
Did step (2) correctly.
To prove (1) assumed the
distance between two parallels
never exceeds some finite value
<-> equivalent to Euclid V
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36.
Abu al-Buzjani (940-997)
One of the greatest Islamic
mathematicians
Born in Iran
Moved to Iraq in 959 to study
mathematics
Wrote a commentary on The
Elements
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37.
Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Sabbah Al-Kindi
(801-873 AD)
Born in Kufah, Iraq
Died Baghdad
Wrote a work 'on the objects
of Euclid's book'
Wrote a book "on the
improvement of Euclid's work“
Wrote "on the improvement
of the 14th and 15th Books of
Euclid"
Wrote treatises on the work
of Archimedes
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38.
Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham
(965-1040 AD)
Born Basra, Persia
Died Cairo, Egypt
Preeminent mathematician of
his time
Wrote a commentary and
abridgement of the Elements
Wrote collection of elements
of geometry and arithmetic
drawn from Euclid and
Apollonius
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39.
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274)
Developed trigonometry
A treatise on the postulates
of Euclid
A treatise on the 5th
postulate
Principles of Geometry taken
from Euclid
105 problems out of The
Elements.
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40.
Abu Nasr al-Farabi (872-950 AD)
Treatises on how to solve
geometrical common
problems for artists
Taught in Baghdad and
Apello (in northern Syria)
Killed by highway robbers
outside Damascus in 950 AD
Wrote a treatise called A
Book of Spiritual Crafts and
Natural Secrets in the
Details of Geometrical
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41.
Ibrāhīm ibn Sinān (d. 946)
Grandson of Thābit ibn Qurra,
mathematician and translator of
Archimedes.
Area of a segment of a parabola –
simplest from the time before the
Renaissance
Concerned with general methods
and theories rather than
particular problems
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42.
Abū Sahl Wayjan ibn Rustam al-Qūhī
(940 -1000 AD)
From Kūh, a mountainous area along the
southern coast of the Caspian Sea in modern
Iran
Considered one of the greatest Islamic
geometers in the 10th century
Proved (using conic sections) that a regular
heptagon can be constructed and exists.
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43.
Other Who Worked on Euclid V
Johann Heinrich John Wallis Adrien Legendre Farkas Bolyai
Lambert (1616-1703) (1752-1833)
(1728-1777)
Giovanni Girolamo Saccheri
(1667-1733)
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44.
Euclid V – Equivalent Statements
• Through a point not on a given line there passes not more than one
parallel to the line.
• Two lines that are parallel to the same line are parallel to each other.
• A line that meets one of two parallels also meets the other.
• If two parallels are cut by a transversal, the alternate interior angles
are equal.
• There exists a triangle whose angle-sum is two right angles.
• Parallel lines are equidistant from one another.
• There exist two parallel lines whose distance apart never exceeds
some finite value.
• Similar triangles exist which are not congruent.
• Through any three non-collinear points there passes a circle .
• Through any point within any angle a line can be drawn which meets
both sides of the angle.
• There exists a quadrilateral whose angle-sum is four right angles.
• Any two parallel lines have a common perpendicular.
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45.
Overturning Euclidean Geometry
Karl Friedrich Gauss János Bolyai Nicolai Ivanovich
Lobachevsky.
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