NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY

INTRODUCTION TO NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY

• Non-Euclidean geometry differs from the geometry of Euclid
because it substitutes another alternative for his so-called fifth
postulate.
• The fifth postulate as stated by Euclid:
“If a transversal falls on two lines in such a way that the
interior angles on one side of the transversal are less than two
right angles, then the lines meet on that side on which the
angles are less than two right angles.”
• According to Euclid, AD and BC meet to the
right if the sum of the measures of angle DAB
and angle ABC is less than π radians.
• Note that the word “parallel” does not appear in the fifth
postulate.
• The wording of Euclid’s fifth postulate that is most
commonly used is called Playfair’s axiom: Through a
point not on a given line, exactly one line can be drawn in
the plane parallel to the given line.
• The word “parallel” means not intersecting or having no
Euclidean point in common.
• Playfair’s axiom and the original fifth postulate are
logically equivalent.
• From the time Euclid stated his postulates, about 300
B.C., mathematicians attempted to show that the fifth
postulate was actually a theorem that could be proved
from the other postulates. None of these people
succeeded.
• Shortly after 1800, mathematicians such as Carl
Friedrich Gauss began to realize that the fifth
postulate could never be proved from the others,
because it was indeed an independent postulate in
the set of Euclidean postulates, not a theorem.
• The first account of non-Euclidean geometry to be
published was based on the assumption that, through
a point not on a given line, more than one line can be
drawn parallel to a given line in the plane.
• This type of geometry, called hyperbolic geometry,
was discovered independently by a Russian, Nikolai
Lobachevsky (1793-1856), and, at about the same
time, by a Hungarian, Janos Bolyai (1802-1860).
 • The results were published about 1830.
• A second type of non-Euclidean geometry, elliptic
geometry, is introduced briefly.
 THREE POSSIBLE NOTIONS OF PARALLELISM
• Euclidean: given a line l and point p, there is exactly
one line parallel to l through p
• Elliptical/Spherical: given a line l and point p, there is
no line parallel to l through p
• Hyperbolic: given a line l and point p, there are
infinite lines parallel to l through p
 THREE POSSIBLE NOTIONS OF PARALLELISM
• Euclidean: given a line l and point p, there is exactly one line parallel to l through p
p

• Elliptical: given a line l and point p, there is no line parallel to l through p

p

• Hyperbolic: given a line l and point p, there are infinite lines parallel to l through p
p

l
 EUCLIDEAN & NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY
• Euclidean: the lines remain at a constant distance
from each other and are parallels
• Hyperbolic: the lines “curve away” from each other and
increase in distance as one moves further from the
points of intersection but with a common perpendicular
and are ultraparallels
• Elliptic: the lines “curve toward” each other and
eventually intersect with each other
 EUCLIDEAN & NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY
• Euclidean: the sum of the angles of any triangle is always
equal to 180°
• Hyperbolic: the sum of the angles of any triangle is always
less than 180°
• Elliptic: the sum of the angles of any triangle is always
greater than 180°; geometry in a sphere with great circles
 HYPERBOLIC GEOMETRY
• Characteristic Postulate. Through a given point C, not on a
given line AB, passes more than one line in the plane not
intersecting the given line.
• It is assumed that CD and CE are two distinct
lines through C and that neither intersects
AB.
 ELLIPTIC GEOMETRY

• German mathematician Bernhard Riemann (1826-

1866) suggested a geometry, now called elliptic,
based on the alternative to the fifth postulate, which
states that there are no parallels to a line through a
point on the line.
• Characteristic Postulate of Elliptic Geometry. Any
two lines in a plane meet at an ordinary point.
• If the figure is in elliptic geometry, with EH and
FI both perpendicular to CG, these two lines
meet at some point A because of the
characteristic postulate that any two lines
intersect.
• In elliptic geometry, it is customary to use curves
to show straight lines.
• One type of geometry that could overlap with
elliptic geometry is called spherical geometry.
• In spherical geometry, there are no parallel
lines since any two lines must intersect.
• However, unlike in spherical geometry, two
lines are usually assumed to intersect at a
single point (rather than two) in elliptic
geometry.
• Because of this, the elliptic geometry is
sometimes referred to as single elliptic
geometry whereas spherical geometry is
sometimes referred to as double elliptic
geometry.
 Spherical Geometry
•The main difference between Spherical Geometry
and Euclidean Geometry is that instead of describing
a plane as a flat surface, a plane is a sphere.
That’s crazy!

=
•A line is a great circle on the sphere. A great circle is
any circle on a sphere that has the same center as the
sphere.

•Points are exactly the same, just on a sphere.

 Spherical Geometry

•Are Euclid’s Postulates true in Spherical Geometry?

1. Through any two points there is

exactly one line TRUE
Of course
They’re true!

2. Through any three points not on the

same line there is exactly one plane
TRUE
 Spherical Geometry

•Are Euclid’s Postulates true in Spherical Geometry?

3. A line contains at least two points

TRUE

4. All right angles are congruent

Duh! I wouldn’t
Write them if
TRUE
they weren’t
 Spherical Geometry

•Is the Parallel Postulate true in Spherical Geometry?

5. Given a line and a point not on that line how many
lines can be drawn through the point that are parallel to
the line? NONE, Therefore the Parallel Postulate is
FALSE in Spherical Geometry
 Spherical Geometry

•Is the Parallel Postulate true in Spherical Geometry?

5. Given a line and a point not on that line how many
lines can be drawn through the point that are parallel to
the line? NONE, Therefore the Parallel Postulate is
FALSE in Spherical Geometry
Common Mistake: Except for the circle in the
middle, these horizontal circles do not share a
center with the sphere and are therefore can
not be considered parallel lines, even though
they appear to be parallel.
 Spherical Geometry
•Other strange things happen in Spherical Geometry

•Lines always intersect at 2 points, not one.

 Spherical Geometry
•Other strange things happen in Spherical Geometry

•In the diagram below B is between A and C, but...

A is between B and C, and...
C is between A and B. Whatever.
B

C
A
 Spherical Geometry
•Other strange things happen in Spherical Geometry

•The angles in a triangle don’t have to add to 180º

•In the diagram below ∆ABC has 3 right angles,
which add to 270. B

What are you

Trying to say?
That I’m wrong? A C
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application

•If Spherical Geometry is so strange why do we even

bother studying it? Because the Earth is a
No It’s Flat. Sphere.

•Euclidean geometry cannot be

used to model the Earth because it
is a sphere.
•Instead of the Cartesian coordinates
used in Euclidean Geometry
Longitude and Latitude are used as to
define position of points on the Earth.
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application
•Lines of Longitude are great Circles running between
the North and South Poles.

•The “Center” Longitude

is called the Prime

Prime Meridian, 0°
Meridian
Degrees West Degrees East
•Longitude is
measured in degrees
East or West from the
prime meridian.
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application
•Lines of Latitude are parallel horizontal circles, but not
great Circles

•The “Center” Latitude is

Degrees North
called the equator
Equator, 0°
•Latitude is measured
in degrees North or
South from the equator Degrees South
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application
•Any Location on the Earth can be found with its latitude
and longitude.

Newberry, FL Newberry, FL
Lat. = 29.6° N
Long. = 82.6° W
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application
•Longitude 90° N •Latitude

60° N

30° N

180° E, 0 °
150° W

120° W

90° W

30° W
60° W

60° E

120° E

150° E
30° E

90° E
0°

30° S

60° S

90° S
 Spherical Geometry: A Real World Application
•This picture shows the angles that define the degrees
for longitude and latitude OOOOH.
Angles.
THANK YOU!