Mathematician of the Day - June 6:
A Lesson in the Elements of Geometry

Henry Martyn Taylor
◼
Born on June 6, 1842 in Bristol, England
◼
English mathematician, researcher and tutor at Trinity College (Cambridge)
◼
Published an edition of Euclid's Elements of Geometry in the late 1880s and early 1890s
◼
After rapidly losing his sight in 1894, Taylor devised a Braille system to allow math and science works
to become available to the blind
​

​​Elements of Geometry Textbook​​​​Definition 1: Point​​​​

​

The word point is used in many different senses.​
​We speak in ordinary language of the point of a pin, of a pen or of a pencil.

​
Graphics[Point[{0,0}]]
Out[]=

Any mark made with such a point on paper is of some definite size and is in some definite position.

​
Show[Graphics[Point[{0,0}]],AxesTrue]
Out[]=
-1.0
-0.5
0.5
1.0
-1.0
-0.5
0.5
1.0
​

A small mark is often called a spot or a dot. Suppose such a spot to become smaller and smaller; ​
​The smaller it becomes the more nearly it resembles a geometric point​
​

Graphics[Table[{Hue[RandomReal[]],PointSize[RandomReal[{0,0.1}]],Point[RandomReal[1,{2}]]},{200}]]
Out[]=
​

A point is generally denoted by a single letter of the alphabet: for instance we speak of the point A.
​

ListPlot[{1.5,1,2.5,3}{"a","b","c","d"}]
Out[]=

​
​Homework Assignment: Concept Definitions​
​​
​Definitions = Elements of Geometry + Wolfram Cloud Functions

​
For each of the definitions below, split each textbook definition given by Taylor into smaller parts,
with Wolfram Function examples to illustrate the geometric concept.
​
Refer to the example of "Point" given in the lesson notes above as a guide.
​
I have provided the Wolfram Documentation Center link to each term to help you!
◼
Definition 2: Line
◼
Definition 3: Surface
◼
Definition 4: Solid
◼
Definition 5: Figure (Polygon)

​
Common Core Standards: High School Geometry

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 Model with mathematics.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMD.B.4
Visualize relationships between two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.MG.A.1
Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects.