Fundamental Concepts of Geometry: (Dover Books on Mathema 1.4tics)

Demonstrates relationships between different types of geometry. Provides excellent overview of the foundations and historical evolution of geometrical concepts. Fundamental Concepts of Geometry demonstrates in a clear and lucid manner the relationships of several types of geometry to one another. This highly regarded work is a superior teaching text, especially valuable in teacher preparation, as well as providing an excellent overview of the foundations and historical evolution of geometrical concepts. Professor Meserve (University of Vermont) offers students and prospective teachers the broad mathematical perspective gained from an elementary treatment of the fundamental concepts of mathematics. The clearly presented text is written on an undergraduate (or advanced secondary-school) level and includes numerous exercises and a brief bibliography. An indispensable taddition to any math library, this helpful guide will enable the reader to discover the relationships among Euclidean plane geometry and other geometries; obtain a practical understanding of "proof"; view geometry as a logical system based on postulates and undefined elements; and appreciate the historical evolution of geometric concepts.

Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1. FOUNDATIONS OF GEOMETRY 1-1 Logical systems 1-2 Logical notations 1-3 Inductive and deductive reasoning 1-4 Postulates 1-5 Independent postulates 1-6 Categorical sets of postulates 1-7 A geometry of number triples 1-8 Geometric invariants CHAPTER 2. SYNTHETIC PROJECTIVE GEOMETRY 2-1 Postulates of incidence and existence 2-2 Properties of a projective plane 2-3 Figures 2-4 Duality 2-5 Perspective figures 2-6 Projective transformations 2-7 Postulate of Projectivity 2-8 Quadrangles 2-9 Complete and simple n-points 2-10 Theorem of Desargues 2-11 Theorem of Pappus 2-12 Conics 2-13 Theorem of Pascal 2-14 Survey CHAPTER 3. COORDINATE SYSTEMS 3-1 Quadrangular sets 3-2 Properties of quadrangular sets 3-3 Harmonic sets 3-4 Postulates of Separation 3-5 Nets of rationality 3-6 Real projective geometry 3-7 Nonhomogeneous coordinates 3-8 Homogeneous coordinates 3-9 Survey CHAPTER 4. ANALYTIC PROJECTIVE GEOMETRY 4-1 Representations in space 4-2 Representations on a plane 4-3 Representations on a line 4-4 Matrices 4-5 Cross ratio 4-6 Analytic and synthetic geometries 4-7 Groups 4-8 Classification of projective transformations 4-9 Polarities and conics 4-10 Conics 4-11 Involutions on a line 4-12 Survey CHAPTER 5. AFFINE GEOMETRY 5-1 Ideal points 5-2 Parallels 5-3 Mid-point 5-4 Classification of conics 5-5 Affine transformations 5-6 Homothetic transformations 5-7 Translations 5-8 Dilations 5-9 Line reflections 5-10 Equiaffine and equiareal transformations 5-11 Survey CHAPTER 6. EUCLIDEAN PLANE GEOMETRY 6-1 Perpendicluar lines 6-2 Similarity transformations 6-3 Orthogonal line reflections 6-4 Euclidean transformations 6-5 Distances 6-6 Directed angles 6-7 Angles 6-8 Common figures 6-9 Survey CHAPTER 7. THE EVOLUTION OF GEOMETRY 7-1 Early measurements 7-2 Early Greek influence 7-3 Euclid 7-4 Early euclidean geometry 7-5 The awakening in Europe 7-6 Constructions 7-7 Descriptive geometry 7-8 Seventeenth century 7-9 Eighteenth century 7-10 Euclid's fifth postulate 7-11 Nineteenth and twentieth centuries 7-12 Survey CHAPTER 8. NONEUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY 8-1 The absolute polarity 8-2 Points and lines 8-3 Hyperbolic geometry 8-4 Elliptic and spherical geometries 8-5 Comparisons CHAPTER 9. TOPOLOGY 9-1 Topology 9-2 Homeomorphic figures 9-3 Jordan Curve Theorem 9-4 Surfaces 9-5 Euler's Formula 9-6 Tranversable networks 9-7 Four-color problem 9-8 Fixed-point theorems 9-9 Moebius strip 9-10 Survey BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX