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Geometry Of Geometry And Geometry

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In the beginning there was Euclid. The geometry we studied in high school was based on the writings of Euclid and rightly called Euclidean geometry. Euclidean geometry is based on basic truths, axioms or postulates that are “obvious”. Born in about 300 BC Euclid of Alexandria a Greek mathematician and teacher wrote Elements. The book is one of the most influential and most published books of all time. In his book the Elements Euclid included five axioms that he deduced and which became the basis for the geometry we now call Euclidean geometry. In Greek Euclid is Εὐκλείδης which means “renowned, glorious”. This fits his work for he has been called the “father of geometry” and his works continue to influence mathematical fields today. Elements was first set in type in 1482 in Venice making it one of the earliest mathematical books to be printed following the invention of the printing press. It is estimated by Carl Benjamin Boyer to be second only to the Bible in the number of editions published,[7] with the number reaching well over one thousand.[8] For centuries the quadrivium was included in the curriculum of all university students and knowledge of at least part of Euclid 's Elements was required of all students. When the content became part of other textbooks, during the 20th century, it ceased to be considered something all educated people had to read.[9]
The five axioms or postulates that Euclid presented were basically:
1. A straight line segment can be drawn

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