Projective geometry of the plane. A classical approach with interactive visualisation (Q2361502): Difference between revisions

This small book originates from a lecture on projective geometry at the Freie Universität Berlin in 2015. Its first half offers a concise and rather conventional introduction to basic concepts of two-dimensional projective geometry over vector spaces. The covered topics include projective transformations, cross-ratios, the theorems of Pappos and Desargues, the fundamental theorems of projective geometry and conics. The second half is quite original and apparently reveals much of the author's own view on projective geometry. He introduces elliptic, hyperbolic, Euclidean, dual-Euclidean, Galilean, Minkowski and dual-Minkowsi geometries via their Cayley-Klein models and concertedly develops fundamentals of these non-Euclidean geometries (metric, transformation groups via reflection, circles, conics and their focal points). In doing so, important commonalities and essential differences are carved out. Different models of non-Euclidean geometries are also used to illustrate phenomena from cosmology, dynamical systems and differential geometry. We find, for example, a section on horocycles as invariant manifolds of geodesic flow, a discussion of curvature via parallel transport and an explanation of the twin paradox as triangle inequality in Minkowsi geometry. The approach via projective geometry offers a solid algebraic foundation of clear and simple models that allow both, synthetic arguments and reasonably simple calculations. A further speciality of this text is accompanying online animations and illustrations. Throughout the text, URLs and QR-codes take the reader to the author's web-page where numerous topics are explained via JavaScript-based dynamic geometry. Being similar in style to the output of modern dynamic geometry programs, the author's own programming work allows for step-by-step animations and additional textual information. This book (and the online animation) is certainly a useful resource for a one semester lecture on projective geometry. The second half is also a fine reference to elementary non-Euclidean geometry in general and to applications of projective geometry.