Related papers: Geometry in the twentieth century: A return to Euc…

This paper is a commentary and a reading guide to three papers by Herbert Busemann, \"Uber die Geometrien, in denen die "Kreise mit unendlichem Radius" die k\"urzesten Linien sind." (On the geometries where circles of infinite radius are…

This is a biography of Herbert Busemann (1905--1994). The final version will appear in Volume I of the Selected Works of Herbert Busemann (2 volumes, Springer Verlag, to appear in 2017).

This is an expository treatise on the development of the classical geometries, starting from the origins of Euclidean geometry a few centuries BC up to around 1870. At this time classical differential geometry came to an end, and the…

We consider several appearances of the notion of convexity in Greek antiquity, more specifically in mathematics and optics, in the writings of Aristotle, and in art. The final version of this article will appear in the book `Geometry in…

We review and comment on some works of Euler and his followers on spherical geometry. We start by presenting some memoirs of Euler on spherical trigonometry. We comment on Euler's use of the methods of the calculus of variations in…

We survey the main ideas in the early history of the subjects on which Riemann worked and that led to some of his most important discoveries. The subjects discussed include the theory of functions of a complex variable, elliptic and Abelian…

The purpose of this essay is to trace the historical development of geometry while focusing on how we acquired mathematical tools for describing the "shape of the universe." More specifically, our aim is to consider, without a claim to…

We consider the mathematical theory of geographical maps, with an emphasis on the eighteenth century works of Euler, Lagrange and Delisle. This period is characterized by the frequent use of maps that are no more obtained by the…

We re-derive Thales, Pythagoras, Apollonius, Stewart, Heron, al Kashi, de Gua, Terquem, Ptolemy, Brahmagupta and Euler's theorems as well as the inscribed angle theorem, the law of sines, the circumradius, inradius and some angle bisector…

Hilbert's fourth problem asks for the construction and the study of metrics on subsets of projective space for which the projective line segments are geodesics. Several solutions of the problem were given so far, depending on more precise…

We review Euler's work on spherical geometry. After an introduction concerning the general place that trigonometric formulae occupy in geometry, we start by the two memoirs of Euler on spherical trigonometry, in which he establishes the…

This paper gives an overview of several key innovations in the 19th century which led to complex geometry in the 20th century. This includes the creation of the complex plane, the work of Abel on addition theorems for generalized elliptic…

The three key documents for study geometry are: 1) "The Elements" of Euclid, 2) the lecture by B. Riemann at G\"ottingen in 1854 entitled "\"Uber die Hypothesen welche der Geometrie zu Grunde liegen" (On the hypotheses which underlie…

The purpose of this book is to give an exposition of geometry, from a point of view which complements Klein's Erlangen program. The emphasis is on extending the classical Euclidean geometry to the finite case, but it goes beyond that. After…

I introduce a new geometrical approach to thermo--statistical mechanics. Here I highlight the main physical ideas, and how do they translate into geometrical language. I contrast the present approach with previous…

We report on the works of Euler and Chebyshev on the drawing of geographical maps. We point out relations with questions about the fitting of garments that were studied by Chebyshev.

The recognition that physical space (or space-time) is curved is a product of the general theory of relativity, such as dramatically shown by the 1919 solar eclipse measurements. However, the mathematical possibility of non-Euclidean…

The initial techniques developed in Euclid's Elements, well before the use of the parallel postulate, are reexamined in order to clarify even the most obscure details, particularly those related to equality, superposition and angle…

We provide some historical context to the study of solid angles carried out by Euler in his memoir \emph{De mensura angulorum solidorum} (On the measure of solid angles). We extend our study to the general notion of angle (not only solid).…

The parameterisation of rotations in three dimensional Euclidean space is an area of applied mathematics that has long been studied, dating back to the original works of Euler in the 18th century. As such, many ways of parameterising a…