TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter discusses the basic geometric figures. It is intended for readers who need to learn the basics of geometry. Readers with a strong mathematical background may skip this chapter. Others will find it useful, as well as a convenient source for review.
Geometry is the mathematics of the properties, measurement, and relationships of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids. The science of geometry also includes analytic geometry, descriptive geometry, fractal geometry, non-Euclidean geometry [*], and spaces with four or more dimensions. It is beyond the scope of this text to discuss the different types of geometry in detail; we will only present the most common figures and their properties such as the number of sides, angles, perimeters, and areas. In this text, we will only be concerned with the so-called Euclidean Geometry [ ].
[*] In analytic geometry straight lines, curves, and geometric figures are represented by algebraic expressions. Any point in a plane may be located by specifying the distance of the point from each of a pair of perpendicular axes. Points in three dimensional space can be similarly located with respect to three axes. A straight line can always be represented by an equa tion in the form ax + by + c = 0.
The science of making accurate, two dimensional drawings of three dimensional geometrical forms is called descriptive geometry. The usual technique is by means of orthographic projection, in which the object to be drawn is...
