Who Is the Father of Geometry?
The oldest math book in existence is Euclid's Elements. Euclid is the father of geometry.
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History
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In the library at Alexandria was a kind, gentle teacher named Euclid. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great. Ptolemy, Alexander's successor in Egypt founded the library in 300 B.C. Euclid taught for 20 to 30 years. He wrote Elements as he taught. Euclid influenced Archimedes and Appollonius, students at the library. Not much information about Euclid was recorded. The library of Alexandria was destroyed in 642. The influence, popularity and success of Euclid's Elements was saved for history.
Elements
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Book 1 of Elements is about the theory of angles, triangles, parallel lines and parallelograms. A point is that which has position but not dimensions. A line has length without breadth. The plane is a surface which has length and breadth. A angle has two lines called legs and a point called a vertex where the lines meet. The building blocks of geometry come from these definitions.
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Polygons
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Definitions first recorded in Elements:
A triangle is a figure formed by three right lines joined end to end. The three lines are called its sides. A scalene triangle has three unequal sides. A isosceles triangle has two equal sides. An equilateral triangle has three equal sides.A polygon is a rectilinear figure bounded by more than three lines. A quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon. A square is a quadrilateral with right angles.
Circles
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A circle is a plane figure formed by a curved line called the circumference.
Elements has more than 200 pages of definitions with proofs. Euclid left a treasure trove of information about geometry.
Famous People Influenced by Euclid's Elements
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Copies of Elements in Greek, Latin and Arabic have come down through the ages. Influenced by Euclid were Archimedes and Apollonius. Ptolemy was a good geometer remembered for his work in astronomy. Johannes Kelper 1571 was another astronomer influenced by Elements. Isaac Newton called Euclid's Elements "a trifling book." The list of people that studied and used Euclid Elements in their work is very long. Euclid is the father of geometry.
Professions That Use Geometry
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Geometry is part of everyday life. As a result of the use of geometry, bridges and roofs stay up; doors close; lids fit on boxes. Civil engineers, homebuilders, wood workers, photographers and quilters use the principles set forth by Euclid in Elements.
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