Chapter 5

Spherical Geometry

Goal: In this chapter we briefly study another form of non-Euclidean

geometry called Spherical geometry
By the sphere we mean just the surface not the solid region enclosed. The notion
of a point on the sphere poses no problems, but how about straight lines? Think of
two points on a sphere. The shortest distance in space between those points does
not lie on the sphere. However there is a shortest distance on the sphere, and this
is a portion of a great circle (a circle on the sphere that divides the sphere into two
portions of equal area). The equator and the lines of longitude on a globe are great
circles. The trick when doing spherical geometry is to imagine yourself as a tiny
being (a bug if you wish) that lives on the sphere and does not project outside the
sphere at all (2-dimensional). Spherical geometry is a very close approximation of
Euclidean geometry for small figures, but behaves very differently when the figures
begin to take on a significant fraction of the circumference or area of the sphere.

Consider the spherical triangle ∆ABC. Note that the complement of ∆ABC
is also a triangle on the sphere.

Figure 5.1: A Spherical Triangle

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Postulates of Spherical Geometry:

1. Two points lie on a unique straight line unless those points are antipodal, in
which case they lie lie on many straight lines.
2. There is a certain distance C such that if a straight line is extended to distance
C, it meets itself. This distance C is the circumference of the sphere. Hence
a straight line is unbounded but still finite.
3. A circle can be drawn with any point as center and any radius, provided the
radius is less than C2 . Note that the circumference of circles increases with
the radius until the radius equals C4 , while for radii greater than C4 , circumfer-
ence decreases with radius, with the circle shrinking to a point as the radius
approaches C2 .
4. All right angles are equal. This is a statement about the uniformity of space,
and the sphere has this uniformity property. A stronger statement about
uniformity of space is the Side-Angle-Side Theorem (SAS) which is true in
Euclidean and spherical geometries (for small figures in spherical geometry)
but not in the geometry on a football.
5. All lines meet in two points.

Propositions:
Some propositions of Euclidean geometry are actually true for small figures but
false for large figures. For example. Proposition 1 should be replaced by something
like: “for lines less than a certain length, there is an equilateral triangle with that
line as one side, but this is not true for lines longer than that length.” In the
exercise below you are asked to determine this length.

Homework 5.0.1 1. In terms of the circumference C, what is the length of the

side of the largest possible equilateral triangle in spherical geometry? Explain
why, with pictures. Draw this largest equilateral triangle. What is strange
about it. Draw one slightly smaller.
Another proposition and proof from Euclidean geometry that works nicely for
small figures of spherical geometry, but fails for large figures, is Proposition
16: “an exterior angle of a triangle is greater than either opposite interior
angles”.
2. Which of the following of Euclid’s propositions are true in spherical geometry?
(a) Prop. 4: The Side-Angle-Side congruence theorem.
(b) Prop. 5: Base angles in an isosceles triangle are equal.
(c) Prop. 8: The Side-Side-Side congruence theorem.
(d) Prop. 17: The sum of two angles of a triangle is always less than 180◦ .
(e) Prop. 26: The Angle-Side-Angle congruence theorem.

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 (f ) Prop. 27: If lines have alternate interior angles equal, then they are
parallel.
(g) Prop. 48: In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum
of the squares of the other sides.

Area and Excess:

The most quantitative result measuring the deviation of spherical geometry from
Euclidean geometry is the following

Theorem 5.0.1 On a sphere of radius R, if a triangle has area A and angle sum
S, then
π 2
A= R (S − 180)
180

S − 180 is called the excess of the triangle. Theorem 5.0.1 says that the ratio
2
area/excess is the same for all triangles and is equal to πR
180
. A consequence of
Theorem 5.0.1 is that triangles have the same angle sum if and only if they have
the same area. In particular there are no “similar noncongruent triangles”. Hence
an Angle-Angle-Angle Theorem exists in spherical geometry.
Proof. Define a lune of degree θ to be the portion of the sphere between two
great circles meeting at an angle θ which fits on a hemisphere.

C! C2

Figure 5.2: A Lune of Degree θ

Define a spherical degree to be the area of one half of a lune of degree 1. Note
that the area of a lune of degree θ is 2·θ spherical degrees and the area of the sphere
is 720 spherical degrees. Now we will compute the area of the triangle ∆ABC with
angles α, β, and γ.
Note that 720spherical degrees = 2 · Area(∆ABC) + 2 · (180 − α) + 2 · (180 −
β) + 2 · (180 − γ). Hence Area(∆ABC) = (α + β + γ − 180) spherical degrees. But
2
the area of the sphere is 4πR2 . Hence a spherical degree is π·R
180
and Area(ABC) =
π 2
180
R (S − 180), where S = α + β + γ.

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Homework 5.0.2 1. In spherical geometry, let ABC be a triangle and let D be
a point on BC other than B and C. If triangle ABD has angle sum 181◦ and
triangle ACD has angle sum 182◦ , what is the angle sum of triangle ABC?
Explain why?
2. Derive a formula relating the angle sum of a quadrilateral on a sphere of radius
R to its area.
3. Triangle ∆ABC is an equilateral spherical triangle with excess equal to 3θ −
180. If L,M, and N are the midpoints of the sides of ∆ABC and 6 LN M = φ,
show that θ > φ and excess of ∆AM N is equal to θ − φ.

B
θ

M L

A C
φ
N

Figure 5.3: HW Problem 3

4. A photographer goes bear hunting. From camp, he/she walks one mile due
south, then one mile due east, then shoots a bear, and, after walking one more
mile, is back at camp. What color was the bear?

Bibliography

1. David W. Henderson, Experiencing Geometry on Plane and Sphere, Prentice

Hall, New Jersey, 1996.
2. Donald M. Davis, The Nature and Power of Mathematics, Princeton Univer-
sity Press, New Jersey, 1993.
3. David C. Kay, College Geometry A Discovery Approach, Harper Collins, 1994.
4. E. C. Wallace & S. F. West, Roads To Geometry, Prentice Hall, New Jeresy,
1992.

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