What is Euclidean Geometry?
EUCLIDEAN
GEOMETRY
The Greeks organized the
Mathematical Properties into an
Axiomatic System, now known
as Euclidean Geometry.
What is Euclidean Geometry?
! The geometry (plane and solid) based on
Euclid's postulates.
! In mathematics, Euclidean geometry is
the familiar kind of geometry on the
plane or in three dimensions.
Mathematicians sometimes use the term
to encompass higher dimensional
geometries with similar properties.
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First Postulate
1. To draw a straight line from any point to
any point.
That is, we can draw one unique
straight line through two distinct points:
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Euclid Five Postulates
1. Any two points can be joined by a straight line.
2. Any straight line segment can be extended
indefinitely in a straight line.
3. Given any straight line segment, a circle can be
drawn having the segment as radius and one
endpoint as center.
4. All right angles are congruent.
5. Parallel postulate. If two lines intersect a third in
such a way that the sum of the inner angles on one
side is less than two right angles, then the two lines
inevitably must intersect each other on that side if
extended far enough.
Second Postulate
2. To produce a finite straight line
continuously in a straight line.
That is, we can extend the line
indefinitely.
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Third Postulate Fourth Postulate

3. To describe a circle with any center and 4. That all right angles are equal to one
distance. another.

That is, circle exists.

90◦ 90◦

90◦ 90◦

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Fifth or Parallel Postulate Essential Question

The statement of
α α+β < 180◦ the fifth postulate is
complicated. Many
β
attempted to prove
the 5th from the first
four but failed.

α+β = 180◦
α
Never intersection
β

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Visualisation Visualisation
POINT
! Point ! Point
! Line ! Line LINE
SEGEMENT
! Ray ! Ray
RAY
! Plane ! Plane
! Endpoints ! Endpoints
! Line Segment ! Line Segment

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Point
!A dimensionless geometric object having
no properties except location
! an entity that has a location in space but
no extent
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Line Segment & Endpoints
! LineSegment are formed by joining
two points (in the shortest possible
way or is the part of a line lying
between two points on that line.
These two points are called
endpoints.
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Essential Question
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Line
! A geometric figure formed by a point moving
along a fixed direction and the reverse
direction.
! A line can be described as an infinitely thin,
infinitely long, perfectly straight curve (the term
curve in mathematics includes "straight
curves"). In Euclidean geometry, exactly one
line can be found that passes through any two
points. The line provides the shortest
connection between the points.
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Ray
!A Ray is the part of a line lying on
one side of a point on the line.
! A ray starts at one point, then goes
on forever in one direction.
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Parallel Lines
! Two lines in a plane that do not
intersect are called parallel lines.
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Parallel lines Angles

! An angle is the union of two line

segments with a common endpoint
called a vertex.
! Used to represent an amount of
rotation (turning) about a fixed point
in counterclockwise direction.

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Angles Angles

! Suppose there are two rays with a

common endpoint. The two rays and the
region between them is called the angle
at a point P formed by the two rays.
! The smallest amount of
counterclockwise rotation about P
needed to rotate one of the rays to the
position of the other ray.

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Measurement of Angle Measurement of Angle

! Degrees – indicated with a little

ACUTE ANGLE
circle: º. For example 90º. A full
circle (to come back where you Right Angle
started) is 360º. Half turn is 180º.
! Clockwise turns have a negative
measurement. OBTUSE ANGLE

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4
Perpendicular Lines Normal Line

! Right Angle – If the angle formed by ! Normal Line at a point on surface is a

the two rays is 90º. line that passes through that point and is
perpendicular to the surface at that point.
! When two lines in a plane meet,
! Physical Principle of reflection –
they form four angles.
! Incoming light and reflected light make
! When all four of these angles made the same angle with the normal line at
by two intersecting lines are 90º, the the point where the incoming light ray
lines are called perpendicular lines. hits the surface

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Reflection Reflection

! Normal Light ray lies in the Normal Line

same plane as the normal line Incomming light ray reflected light ray'
and the incoming light ray.
! The reflected ray and incoming
light ray coincide only when 60 degrees
incoming light ray lines up with 60 degrees
the normal line
Reflective Surface

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Thales’ theorem of “vertical

Common Notions (Axioms)
angles are equal”
1. Things which are equal to the same thing are
also equal to one another. [a=c, b=c => a = Straight line spans an angle
b] of 180◦, so
c
2. If equals be added to equals, the wholes are a + c = 180◦, c + b = 180◦
a b
equal. [a=b => a+c = b+c] By common notation 1, we
have
3. If equals be subtracted from equals, the
remainders are equal. [a=b => a-c = b-c] a+c=c+b

4. Things which coincide with one another are Pair of non-adjacent By common notion 3, we
angles a and b are subtract c from above,
equal to one another. getting
called vertical angles,
5. The whole is greater than the part. prove a = b. a = b.

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5
Theorem of Transversal Angles
b From the vertical
c d angle theorem, c = b.
Clearly, c + d = 180◦,
a Two pairs of
a + d = 180◦ (parallel
postulate), so
a = c = b.
The transverse line with two
parallel lines makes angles a and
b. Show a = b = c.
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Side-Angle-Side Theorem
If two triangles have equal
α lengths for the corresponding
a b
b side, and equal angle for the
included angle, then two
triangles are “congruent”.
That is, the two triangles can
be moved so that they overlap
each other.
α area:
a
b Show the sides of a
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Line Equation
! Lines in a Cartesian plane can be
described algebraically by linear
equations and linear functions. In two
dimensions, the characteristic equation
is often given by the slope-intercept
form:
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Angle Sum Theorem
Draw a line through
the upper vertex
a c b parallel to the base.
alternate interior
a angles are equal,
b
from previous
theorem. It follows
Show the angle sum of a that
triangle is
a + b + c = 180◦
a + b + c = 180◦
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Pythagoras Theorem
a On the sides of a square, draw
alternatively length a and b. Clearly,
all the triangles are congruent by the
c side-angle-side theorem. So the four
lengths inside the outer square are
equal. Since the sum of three angles
in a triangle is 180◦, we find that the
inner quadrilateral is indeed a square.
Consider two ways of computing the
(a+b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2,
right triangle satisfies
And c2 + 4 ( ½ ab) = c2+2ab.
a 2 + b2 = c 2
They are equal, so a2+b2 = c2.
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Plane
! A surface containing all the straight lines that
connect any two points on it.
! A plane is a surface such that, given any three
points on the surface, the surface also
contains the straight line that passes through
any two of them. One can introduce a
Cartesian coordinate system on a given plane
in order to label every point on it uniquely with
two numbers, the point's coordinates.
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Planes Intersecting Properties of Euclidean Space

Within any Euclidean space, a plane is

uniquely determined by any of the
following combinations:
! three non-collinear points (not lying on
the same line)
! a line and a point not on the line
! two different lines which intersect
! two different lines which are parallel

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Properties of Euclidean Space References

In three-dimensional Euclidean space, we may ! http://www.daviddarling.info/childrens_en
exploit the following facts that do not hold in
higher dimensions: cyclopedia/Moon_Chapter2.html
! Two planes are either parallel or they intersect
in a line.
! A line is either parallel to a plane or they
intersect at a single point.
! Two lines normal (perpendicular) to the same
plane must be parallel to each other.
! Two planes normal to the same line must be
parallel to each other.

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