Points, Lines, and other
Geometric Necessities
Including plane geometry and 3D
Basic Definitions
Some geometric objects are just math ideas that
do not actually exist in the real world.
A geometric point is imagined to have zero size.
A geometric line is formed by connecting two
points along the shortest possible path. It has
infinite length and no thickness. We usually
work with line segments, or pieces of lines.
A geometric plane is a perfectly flat surface that
has infinite length and width, but no thickness.
Dimension
The dimension of an object can be thought of as the
number of independent directions in which you could
move if you were on the object.
A point you could move nowhere, so zero dimension.
A line you could walk forward (positive) or backward
(negative) but really only one direction.
A plane you could walk forward/backward or
left/right so it has two dimensions.
In a three-dimensional space, you can move in three
independent directions: forward/backward, left/right,
and up/down.
Coordinates
A line, such as a number line, requires only
one coordinate to know where you are.
Therefore it is one-dimensional.
A plane, such as a rectangular coordinate
system, requires both and x and a y to know
a location. Hence it is two-dimensional.
Three coordinates are needed to locate a
point in three-dimensional space.
Angles
The intersection of two lines or line segments
forms an angle.
The point of intersection is called the vertex.
A right angle measures 90°.
A straight angle is formed by a straight line
and measures 180°.
An acute angle is any angle whose measure is
less than 90°.
An obtuse angle is any angle whose measure
is between 90° and 180°.
Plane Geometry
Plane geometry is the geometry of two-
dimensional objects. We will use circles and
polygons as examples.
All points on a circle are located at the same
distance – the radius – from the circle’s
center. The diameter of a circle is twice its
radius, which means that it is the distance
across a circle on a line passing through its
center.
A polygon is any closed shape in the plane
made from straight line segments. (Like our
art galleries.)
“Poly” comes from the Latin meaning “many.”
Therefore a polygon is a many-sided figure.
A regular polygon is a polygon in which all
the sides have the same length and all
interior angles are equal.
Triangles
We’ve already used triangles in our art gallery
discussion, but did you know they are one of
the most important of all regular polygons?
All three sides of an equilateral triangle have
equal length, making it a regular polygon.
An isosceles triangle has exactly two sides of
equal length.
A right triangle contains one right (90°) angle.
Fact: The sum of the angles of any triangle is
180°.
Perimeter and Area
The perimeter of a plane object is simply the length
of its boundary.
To find the perimeter of any polygon, add the lengths
of all the individual edges.
The perimeter of a circle, called the circumference, is
related to its diameter or radius by the universal
constant π.
π is an irrational number so the decimals go on
infinitely without repeating, however we frequently
approximate pi by 3.14.
The area of a plane object is the amount of space it
takes up in two-dimensions.
Three-Dimensional Geometry
(3-D)
Two of the most important properties of a
three-dimensional object are its volume and
surface area.
In general, volume is the amount an object
can hold. For example, my water bottle has a
volume of 1L. A box might have a volume of
3x3x4=36 cu in.
The surface area is the amount of space the
surface of the object takes up.
