Sunday, June 26, 2016

WHERE PARALLEL LINES CROSS! SAY WHAT??

Image result for photo depicting "vanishing point"


"Infinity" is where parallel lines cross---Kelso Franklin





Prior to high school, I had never read or heard the word “Infinity.” It was in Mr. Franklin’s Algebra I class, during my freshman year, I first encountered the concept of Infinity. In my sophomore year I took Geometry along with other sophomores and several juniors and seniors.  (Here’s a long overdue confession---I really enjoyed taking classes with upper classman to see if I could equal or supersede their additional year of maturity . I’ll let others report the results.)


With lyrics of Avicii’s hit song playing in my brain--- “ When I am older and I am wiser”----here’s the answer from the Internet:

In summary, then: in usual geometry, parallel lines do not meet. There is no such thing as infinity, and it is wrong to say that parallel lines meet at infinity.

However, you can construct other geometric systems, whose "points" include not only the points of familiar geometry (describable as coordinate pairs (x,y)), but also other objects. These other objects can be constructed in various ways, as described in the discussion of projective geometry. In these other geometric systems, parallel lines may meet at a "point at infinity". Whether this is one single point or different points for different classes of parallel lines, depends on the particular geometric system you are considering.”  Toronto School of Math 


Now maybe I can go back to trying to beat the checks to the bank.



GLENN <><

JUST WEST OF YESTERDAY

    

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