GEOMETRY BEGINNINGS
What is geometry?
Geometry is the study of figures or objects in space—of a certain number of dimen-
sions and types—and focuses on the properties and measurements of points, lines,
angles, surfaces, and solids of those objects (or sometimes even the space around
them). The word geometryis from the Greek words for “earth” and “to measure”
(geometria,broken down into gëand metreein,respectively). A person who studies
geometry is called a geometer or geometrician.
What are the divisionsfound within the field of geometry?
The geometry field has several distinct divisions, including:
Plane geometry—This includes common features such as circles, lines, triangles,
and polygons.
Solid geometry—This also includes such figures as circles and lines, as well as
polyhedrons.
Spherical geometry—This includes shapes such as spherical triangles (see below)
and polygons.
Analytic geometry—Also called coordinate geometry, this includes the study of
figures in terms of their positions, configurations, and separations.
There are other types of geometry, too, including projective geometry and non-
Euclidean geometry. Most of these are more complex forms of geometry that each
have their own special reasons for use. 165
GEOMETRY AND
TRIGONOMETRY