Math 302: Geometry

Lecture Summaries

 

Lecture 1 (January 24, 2006): Introduction to the course; Axiomatic method of geometry; undefined terms (point, line, lie on, between, congruent); Euclid’s definitions and postulates; the parallel postulate; a preview of what happens when the parallel postulate is negated.

 

Lecture 2 (January 26): Definitions of segment, circle, ray, angle, opposite rays, supplementary angle, right angle. Logic rules.

 

Lecture 3 (January 31): More logic rules. Incidence Axioms and propositions that can be deduced from the incidence axioms alone.

 

Lecture 4 (February 2): Models and interpretations of points and lines. Why the Euclidean parallel property is not deducible from the incidence axioms. The Betweenness Axioms and Proposition 3.1.

 

Lecture 5 (February 7): Propositions 3.2, 3.3, 3.4. Discussion of Exercise 9 of Chapter1.

 

Lecture 6 (February 9): Pasch’s theorem; definition of interior of angle and triangle; Propositions 3.5 through 3.9, including Crossbar Theorem.

 

Lecture 7 (February 14): Congruence Axioms, Propositions 3.10 to 3.12

 

Lecture 8 (February 16):  Propositions 3.13 to 3.18, comparisons and orderings of segments and angles

 

Lecture 9 (February 21): Propositions 3.19 and 3.23

 

Lecture 10 (Februray 28): Alternate Interior Angle Theorem

 

Lecture 11 (March 2): Exterior Angle Theorem and Corollaries

 

Lecture 12 (March 7): Saccheri-Legendre Theorem

 

Lecture 13 (March 9): Equivalent Forms of the Parallel Postulate

 

Lecture 14 (March 21): Angle Sums of Triangles

 

Lecture 15 (March 23): Attempts by Proclus, Wallis, and Saccheri to prove Euclid’s Parallel Postulate.

 

Lecture 16 (March 28): Propositions 4.7-4.11 (Equivalent Forms of the Parallel Postulate)

 

Lecture 17 (March 30): Attempts by Clairaut and Legendre to prove Euclid’s Parallel Postulate.

 

Lecture 18 (April 4): Hyperbolic Axiom; Universal Hyperbolic Theorem; Similar triangles are congruent.

 

Lecture 19 (April 11): Parallel lines that admit a common perpendicular (in hyperbolic geometry)

 

Lecture 20 (April 13): Limiting Parallel rays

 

Lecture 21 (April 18): More on limiting parallel rays

 

Lecture 22 (April 20): Consistency of hyperbolic geometry; the Beltrami-Klein model

 

Lecture 23 (April 25): The Poincare model

 

Lecture 24 (April 27): Inversion in circles; finding the Poincare line between two points