Talk:Geometry/Chapter 1

Though I enjoyed reading this page I think that if I where new to geometry and algebra then much of this text would be meaningless. For starters the sigma notation is way too advanced. It could be replaced by what the Greeks used to prove this theorem, a square arrangement of dots.

I would like to see a more gradual intuitive approach in this first chapter as promised in the introduction. It should be built from wikibook Geometry for elementary school which is very good.

Imagine if all you could do was basic arithmetic and perhaps solve a first degree equation. What then would make sense to you starting geometry? Imagine how a good geometry teacher might start the first week. I think s/he would start with lots of blackboard drawings and practical discussions about easy to understand useful geometric ideas.

Any ideas?--Cretaceous9 (talk) 14:15, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

I am afraid the problems with this text are worse than that: in section 1.4 where he introduces axioms/postulate, he states his first axiom one way, asserting the existence of a line between two points, but then in 1.5 theorems, he states postulates again, this time asserting the uniqueness of the line we are guaranteed we can draw in his first version of the axiom/postulate. But these two statements are NOT equivalent. Rather, given the first 4 postulates of Euclidean geometry the student should be able to prove the uniqueness, i.e., "between any two points, there exists one and only one line [segment]". 24.4.133.80 (discuss) 01:42, 24 April 2014 (UTC)