A characterization of dimension-free hyperbolic geometry and the functional equation of 2-point invariants (Q623420): Difference between revisions

This paper proves two interesting theorems regarding dimension-free hyperbolic geometry, as presented by the author in his [Classical geometries in modern contexts. Geometry of real inner product spaces. 2nd ed. Basel: Birkhäuser (2008; Zbl 1135.51002)]. The setting is as follows: \(X\) is a real inner product space of arbitrary (finite or infinite) dimension \(\geq 2\), \(P = \{x \in X \mid \| x \| < 1\}\), \(G\) is the group of all bijections of \(P\) such that the images and pre-images of the following sets, called \(P\)-lines, \((a, b):= \{x \in X\setminus \{a, b\} \mid \|a-b\| = \|a - x\|+ \|x - b\|\}\), \(a, b \in X\), \(a \neq b\), \(\|a\| = 1 = \|b\|\), are again \(P\)-lines (\((a, b)\) is actually the segment \((a, b) = \{a + t(b - a) \mid 0 < t < 1\}\), where the two points \(a \neq b\) are on the unit sphere centered at the origin). The first theorem states that the geometry defined by the group \(G\) on \(P\) is the hyperbolic geometry defined in \(X\) in the manner done by the author in 2.12 of his book. The second theorem finds that all solutions \(d:P\times P\rightarrow W\) (where \(W\) is any non-empty set) of the functional equation \(d(p, q)=d(\gamma(p), \gamma(q))\) for all \(p, q\in P\), and all \(\gamma\in G\) are given by \(d(p,q)=f(g(p,q))\), where \(p, q\in P\), \(f\) is an arbitrary mapping from the non-negative reals to \(W\), and \(g(p,q)\geq 0\) is defined by \(\cosh g(p,q)=\frac{1-pq}{\sqrt{1-p^2}\sqrt{1-q^2}}\). The first theorem is the model-theoretic counterpart of the generalization for dimension-free hyperbolic geometry of Menger's theorem, proved by Schwabhäuser in [\textit{W. Schwabhäuser, W. Szmielew} and \textit{A. Tarski}, Metamathematische Methoden in der Geometrie. Hochschultext. Berlin: Springer-Verlag (1983; Zbl 0564.51001)] (Satz II.4.62 and Anmerkung II.4.63). The proofs, however, are entirely different, the model-theoretic one being significantly shorter, once the machinery of the author's book is taken for granted.