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If the sum of the interior angles α and β is less than 180°, the two straight lines, produced indefinitely, meet on that side. In geometry, the parallel postulate, also called Euclid's fifth postulate because it is the fifth postulate in Euclid's Elements, is a distinctive axiom in Euclidean geometry.
Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, Elements.Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set of intuitively appealing axioms (postulates) and deducing many other propositions from these.
For example, the first and fourth of Euclid's postulates, that there is a unique line between any two points and that all right angles are equal, hold in elliptic geometry. Postulate 3, that one can construct a circle with any given center and radius, fails if "any radius" is taken to mean "any real number", but holds if it is taken to mean ...
The various attempted proofs of the parallel postulate produced a long list of theorems that are equivalent to the parallel postulate. Equivalence here means that in the presence of the other axioms of the geometry each of these theorems can be assumed to be true and the parallel postulate can be proved from this altered set of axioms.
Parallel lines are the subject of Euclid's parallel postulate. [2] Parallelism is primarily a property of affine geometries and Euclidean geometry is a special instance of this type of geometry. In some other geometries, such as hyperbolic geometry , lines can have analogous properties that are referred to as parallelism.
This, for instance, applies to all theorems in Euclid's Elements, Book I. An example of a theorem of Euclidean geometry which cannot be so formulated is the Archimedean property: to any two positive-length line segments S 1 and S 2 there exists a natural number n such that nS 1 is longer than S 2.
Independence of the parallel postulate ; Infinite monkey theorem (probability) Integral root theorem (algebra, polynomials) Initial value theorem (integral transform) Inscribed angle theorem ; Integral representation theorem for classical Wiener space (measure theory) Intermediate value theorem ; Intercept theorem (Euclidean geometry)
More formally, the only permissible constructions are those granted by the first three postulates of Euclid's Elements. It turns out to be the case that every point constructible using straightedge and compass may also be constructed using compass alone , or by straightedge alone if given a single circle and its center.