Geometry

The study of geometry is at least 2500 years old, and it is within this field that the concept of mathematical proof - deductive reasoning from a set of axioms - first arose. To this day geometry remains a very active area of research in mathematics. This Very Short Introduction covers the areas of mathematics falling under geometry, starting with topics such as Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, and ranging to curved spaces, projective geometry in Renaissance art, and geometry of space-time inside a black hole. Starting from the basics, Maciej Dunajski proceeds from concrete examples (of mathematical objects like Platonic solids, or theorems like the Pythagorean theorem) to general principles. Throughout, he outlines the role geometry plays in the broader context of science and art. Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The study of geometry is at least 2500 years old, and it is within this field that the concept of mathematical proof - deductive reasoning from a set of axioms - first arose. To this day geometry remains a very active area of research in mathematics. This Very Short Introduction covers the areas of mathematics falling under geometry, starting with topics such as Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, and ranging to curved spaces, projective geometry in Renaissance art, and geometry of space-time inside a black hole. Starting from the basics, Maciej Dunajski proceeds from concrete examples (of mathematical objects like Platonic solids, or theorems like the Pythagorean theorem) to general principles. Throughout, he outlines the role geometry plays in the broader context of science and art. Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This text is the fifth and final in the series of educational books written by Israel Gelfand with his colleagues for high school students. These books cover the basics of mathematics in a clear and simple format – the style Gelfand was known for internationally. Gelfand prepared these materials so as to be suitable for independent studies, thus allowing students to learn and practice the material at their own pace without a class. Geometry takes a different approach to presenting basic geometry for high-school students and others new to the subject. Rather than following the traditional axiomatic method that emphasizes formulae and logical deduction, it focuses on geometric constructions. Illustrations and problems are abundant throughout, and readers are encouraged to draw figures and “move” them in the plane, allowing them to develop and enhance their geometrical vision, imagination, and creativity. Chapters are structured so that only certain operations and the instruments to perform these operations are available for drawing objects and figures on the plane. This structure corresponds to presenting, sequentially, projective, affine, symplectic, and Euclidean geometries, all the while ensuring students have the necessary tools to follow along. Geometry is suitable for a large audience, which includes not only high school geometry students, but also teachers and anyone else interested in improving their geometrical vision and intuition, skills useful in many professions. Similarly, experienced mathematicians can appreciate the book’s unique way of presenting plane geometry in a simple form while adhering to its depth and rigor. “Gelfand was a great mathematician and also a great teacher. The book provides an atypical view of geometry. Gelfand gets to the intuitive core of geometry, to the phenomena of shapes and how they move in the plane, leadingus to a better understanding of what coordinate geometry and axiomatic geometry seek to describe.” - Mark Saul, PhD, Executive Director, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival “The subject matter is presented as intuitive, interesting and fun. No previous knowledge of the subject is required. Starting from the simplest concepts and by inculcating in the reader the use of visualization skills, [and] after reading the explanations and working through the examples, you will be able to confidently tackle the interesting problems posed. I highly recommend the book to any person interested in this fascinating branch of mathematics.” - Ricardo Gorrin, a student of the Extended Gelfand Correspondence Program in Mathematics (EGCPM)

This text is the fifth and final in the series of educational books written by Israel Gelfand with his colleagues for high school students. These books cover the basics of mathematics in a clear and simple format – the style Gelfand was known for internationally. Gelfand prepared these materials so as to be suitable for independent studies, thus allowing students to learn and practice the material at their own pace without a class. Geometry takes a different approach to presenting basic geometry for high-school students and others new to the subject. Rather than following the traditional axiomatic method that emphasizes formulae and logical deduction, it focuses on geometric constructions. Illustrations and problems are abundant throughout, and readers are encouraged to draw figures and “move” them in the plane, allowing them to develop and enhance their geometrical vision, imagination, and creativity. Chapters are structured so that only certain operations and the instruments to perform these operations are available for drawing objects and figures on the plane. This structure corresponds to presenting, sequentially, projective, affine, symplectic, and Euclidean geometries, all the while ensuring students have the necessary tools to follow along. Geometry is suitable for a large audience, which includes not only high school geometry students, but also teachers and anyone else interested in improving their geometrical vision and intuition, skills useful in many professions. Similarly, experienced mathematicians can appreciate the book’s unique way of presenting plane geometry in a simple form while adhering to its depth and rigor. “Gelfand was a great mathematician and also a great teacher. The book provides an atypical view of geometry. Gelfand gets to the intuitive core of geometry, to the phenomena of shapes and how they move in the plane, leadingus to a better understanding of what coordinate geometry and axiomatic geometry seek to describe.” - Mark Saul, PhD, Executive Director, Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival “The subject matter is presented as intuitive, interesting and fun. No previous knowledge of the subject is required. Starting from the simplest concepts and by inculcating in the reader the use of visualization skills, [and] after reading the explanations and working through the examples, you will be able to confidently tackle the interesting problems posed. I highly recommend the book to any person interested in this fascinating branch of mathematics.” - Ricardo Gorrin, a student of the Extended Gelfand Correspondence Program in Mathematics (EGCPM)

In this third installment of his classic 'Foundations' trilogy, Michel Serres takes on the history of geometry and mathematics. Even more broadly, Geometry is the beginnings of things and also how these beginnings have shaped how we continue to think philosophically and critically. Serres rejects a traditional history of mathematics which unfolds in a linear manner, and argues for the need to delve into the past of maths and identify a series of ruptures which can help shed light on how this discipline has developed and how, in turn, the way we think has been shaped and formed. This meticulous and lyrical translation marks the first ever English translation of this key text in the history of ideas.

In this third installment of his classic 'Foundations' trilogy, Michel Serres takes on the history of geometry and mathematics. Even more broadly, Geometry is the beginnings of things and also how these beginnings have shaped how we continue to think philosophically and critically. Serres rejects a traditional history of mathematics which unfolds in a linear manner, and argues for the need to delve into the past of maths and identify a series of ruptures which can help shed light on how this discipline has developed and how, in turn, the way we think has been shaped and formed. This meticulous and lyrical translation marks the first ever English translation of this key text in the history of ideas.

This richly illustrated and clearly written undergraduate textbook captures the excitement and beauty of geometry. The approach is that of Klein in his Erlangen programme: a geometry is a space together with a set of transformations of the space. The authors explore various geometries: affine, projective, inversive, hyperbolic and elliptic. In each case they carefully explain the key results and discuss the relationships between the geometries. New features in this second edition include concise end-of-chapter summaries to aid student revision, a list of further reading and a list of special symbols. The authors have also revised many of the end-of-chapter exercises to make them more challenging and to include some interesting new results. Full solutions to the 200 problems are included in the text, while complete solutions to all of the end-of-chapter exercises are available in a new Instructors' Manual, which can be downloaded from www.cambridge.org/9781107647831.

This richly illustrated and clearly written undergraduate textbook captures the excitement and beauty of geometry. The approach is that of Klein in his Erlangen programme: a geometry is a space together with a set of transformations of the space. The authors explore various geometries: affine, projective, inversive, hyperbolic and elliptic. In each case they carefully explain the key results and discuss the relationships between the geometries. New features in this second edition include concise end-of-chapter summaries to aid student revision, a list of further reading and a list of special symbols. The authors have also revised many of the end-of-chapter exercises to make them more challenging and to include some interesting new results. Full solutions to the 200 problems are included in the text, while complete solutions to all of the end-of-chapter exercises are available in a new Instructors' Manual, which can be downloaded from www.cambridge.org/9781107647831.

From the reviews: "A prominent research mathematician and a high school teacher have combined their efforts in order to produce a high school geometry course. The result is a challenging, vividly written volume which offers a broader treatment than the traditional Euclidean one, but which preserves its pedagogical virtues. The material included has been judiciously selected: some traditional items have been omitted, while emphasis has been laid on topics which relate the geometry course to the mathematics that precedes and follows. The exposition is clear and precise, while avoiding pedantry. There are many exercises, quite a number of them not routine. The exposition falls into twelve chapters: 1. Distance and Angles.- 2. Coordinates.- 3. Area and the Pythagoras Theorem.- 4. The Distance Formula.- 5. Some Applications of Right Triangles.- 6. Polygons.- 7. Congruent Triangles.- 8. Dilatations and Similarities.- 9. Volumes.- 10. Vectors and Dot Product.- 11. Transformations.- 12. Isometries. This excellent text, presenting elementary geometry in a manner fully corresponding to the requirements of modern mathematics, will certainly obtain well-merited popularity. Publicationes Mathematicae Debrecen #1

At last: geometry in an exemplary, accessible and attractive form! The authors emphasise both the intellectually stimulating parts of geometry and routine arguments or computations in concrete or classical cases, as well as practical and physical applications. They also show students the fundamental concepts and the difference between important results and minor technical routines. Altogether, the text presents a coherent high school curriculum for the geometry course, naturally backed by numerous examples and exercises.