Synthetic geometrySynthetic geometry (sometimes referred to as axiomatic geometry or even pure geometry) is geometry without the use of coordinates. It relies on the axiomatic method for proving all results from a few basic properties initially called postulate, and at present called axioms. The term "synthetic geometry" has been coined only after the 17th century, and the introduction by René Descartes of the coordinate method, which was called analytic geometry.
Line (geometry)In geometry, a line is an infinitely long object with no width, depth, or curvature. Thus, lines are one-dimensional objects, though they may exist embedded in two, three, or higher dimensional spaces. The word line may also refer to a line segment in everyday life that has two points to denote its ends (endpoints). A line can be referred to by two points that lie on it (e.g. ) or by a single letter (e.g. ).
Circular algebraic curveIn geometry, a circular algebraic curve is a type of plane algebraic curve determined by an equation F(x, y) = 0, where F is a polynomial with real coefficients and the highest-order terms of F form a polynomial divisible by x2 + y2. More precisely, if F = Fn + Fn−1 + ... + F1 + F0, where each Fi is homogeneous of degree i, then the curve F(x, y) = 0 is circular if and only if Fn is divisible by x2 + y2. Equivalently, if the curve is determined in homogeneous coordinates by G(x, y, z) = 0, where G is a homogeneous polynomial, then the curve is circular if and only if G(1, i, 0) = G(1, −i, 0) = 0.
Least-upper-bound propertyIn mathematics, the least-upper-bound property (sometimes called completeness or supremum property or l.u.b. property) is a fundamental property of the real numbers. More generally, a partially ordered set X has the least-upper-bound property if every non-empty subset of X with an upper bound has a least upper bound (supremum) in X. Not every (partially) ordered set has the least upper bound property. For example, the set of all rational numbers with its natural order does not have the least upper bound property.
Hereditarily finite setIn mathematics and set theory, hereditarily finite sets are defined as finite sets whose elements are all hereditarily finite sets. In other words, the set itself is finite, and all of its elements are finite sets, recursively all the way down to the empty set. A recursive definition of well-founded hereditarily finite sets is as follows: Base case: The empty set is a hereditarily finite set. Recursion rule: If a1,...,ak are hereditarily finite, then so is {a1,...,ak}.
Squaring the circleSquaring the circle is a problem in geometry first proposed in Greek mathematics. It is the challenge of constructing a square with the area of a circle by using only a finite number of steps with a compass and straightedge. The difficulty of the problem raised the question of whether specified axioms of Euclidean geometry concerning the existence of lines and circles implied the existence of such a square. In 1882, the task was proven to be impossible, as a consequence of the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem, which proves that pi () is a transcendental number.
Algebraic numberAn algebraic number is a number that is a root of a non-zero polynomial in one variable with integer (or, equivalently, rational) coefficients. For example, the golden ratio, , is an algebraic number, because it is a root of the polynomial x^2 − x − 1. That is, it is a value for x for which the polynomial evaluates to zero. As another example, the complex number is algebraic because it is a root of x^4 + 4. All integers and rational numbers are algebraic, as are all roots of integers.
ExponentiationIn mathematics, exponentiation is an operation involving two numbers, the base and the exponent or power. Exponentiation is written as bn, where b is the base and n is the power; this is pronounced as "b (raised) to the (power of) n". When n is a positive integer, exponentiation corresponds to repeated multiplication of the base: that is, bn is the product of multiplying n bases: The exponent is usually shown as a superscript to the right of the base.
Isolated pointIn mathematics, a point x is called an isolated point of a subset S (in a topological space X) if x is an element of S and there exists a neighborhood of x that does not contain any other points of S. This is equivalent to saying that the singleton {x} is an open set in the topological space S (considered as a subspace of X). Another equivalent formulation is: an element x of S is an isolated point of S if and only if it is not a limit point of S.
Integer overflowIn computer programming, an integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation attempts to create a numeric value that is outside of the range that can be represented with a given number of digits – either higher than the maximum or lower than the minimum representable value. The most common result of an overflow is that the least significant representable digits of the result are stored; the result is said to wrap around the maximum (i.e. modulo a power of the radix, usually two in modern computers, but sometimes ten or another radix).
