Alcesto, John Christian T.
BSED MATHEMATICS 1A
History of Mathematics
Activity 7: Non-Euclidean Geometry
Development of Non-Euclidean Geometry
The development of non-Euclidean geometry began with questions surrounding Euclidean
geometry, which is based on Euclid’s five postulates in Elements. The fifth postulate, known as the
parallel postulate, asserts that through a point not on a line, there exists exactly one line that is
parallel to the given line. This particular postulate was debated among mathematicians for centuries,
as it was considered less self-evident than the other four. Over time, non-Euclidean geometry
emerged as mathematicians rethought and modified these core assumptions about space.
Mathematicians Involved and Their Discoveries
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Regarded as a key figure in non-Euclidean geometry, Gauss explored the concept of
geometry without the parallel postulate. Although he never published his ideas, his letters reveal
early insights into the properties of curved spaces (Greenberg, 2008).
Nikolai Lobachevsky
Known as one of the primary founders, Lobachevsky independently developed hyperbolic
geometry in the 1820s. In contrast to Euclidean geometry, he showed that multiple lines can be
drawn through a point parallel to a given line (Stillwell, 2010).
Bernhard Riemann
Riemann expanded the field with his concept of elliptic geometry, which he presented in an
1854 lecture on geometry’s foundations. Riemannian geometry became essential to general
relativity, offering a new way of studying curved surfaces (Riemann, 1953).
Three Concepts of Non-Euclidean Geometry and Its Application
Hyperbolic Geometry
In hyperbolic geometry, parallel lines diverge from each other, and the angles of a triangle
add up to less than 180 degrees. This concept has applications in cosmology, where it helps model
the potential structure of the universe (Ratcliffe, 2006).
Elliptic Geometry
In elliptic geometry, parallel lines do not exist, and the angles of a triangle exceed 180
degrees. This concept is used in spherical geometry, which is crucial for navigation and GPS
technology (Weisstein, 2012).
Geodesics
Geodesics are the shortest paths between two points on a curved surface. In general
relativity, geodesics represent the trajectories that objects follow in curved spacetime, such as
planets around stars (Einstein, 1915).
References
Einstein, A. (1915). The field equations of gravitation. Sitzungsberichte der Preussischen Akademie
der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, 844–847.
Greenberg, M. J. (2008). Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries: Development and history (4 th
ed.). W.H. Freeman.
Ratcliffe, J. G. (2006). Foundations of hyperbolic manifolds. Springer.
Riemann, B. (1953). On the hypotheses which lie at the bases of geometry. Dover.
Stillwell, J. (2010). Mathematics and its history (3 rd ed.). Springer.
Weisstein, E. W. (2012). Spherical geometry. MathWorld—A Wolfram Web Resource.
