Geometry (nonfiction)

Women teaching geometry (1309).

Geometry (from the Ancient Greek: γεωμετρία; geo- "earth", -metron "measurement") is a branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, volume, relative position of figures, and the properties of space.

History

Geometry arose independently in a number of early cultures as a body of practical knowledge concerning lengths, areas, and volumes, with elements of formal mathematical science emerging in the West as early as Thales (6th century BC).

Euclid

By the 3rd century BC, geometry was put into an axiomatic form by Euclid (nonfiction), whose treatment -- Euclidean geometry-- set a standard for many centuries to follow.

Archimedes

Archimedes (nonfiction) developed ingenious techniques for calculating areas and volumes, in many ways anticipating modern integral calculus.

Quadrivium

In the classical world, both geometry and astronomy were considered to be part of the Quadrivium, a subset of the seven liberal arts considered essential for a free citizen to master.

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Mathematics (nonfiction)

Fiction cross-reference

• Geometry solvent

External links

• Geometry @ Wikipedia