Axiomatic Systems and Incidence Geometry

Axiomatic Systems
Also called Axiom Systems
Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 1

Axiom System
An axiom system includes:
• Undefined terms
• Axioms , or statements about those terms, taken to be
true without proof.
• Theorems, or statements proved from the axioms (and
previously proved theorems)
A model for an axiom system is a mathematical system in

which:
• every undefined term has a specific meaning in that
system, and
• all the axioms are true.

Example 1
Axiom System:
• Undefined terms: member, committee, on.
• Axiom 1: Every committee has exactly two members on
it.
• Axiom 2: Every member is on at least two committees.
Model:
• Members: Joan, Anne, Blair
• Committees: {Joan, Anne}, {Joan, Blair}, {Anne, Blair}
• On: Belonging to the set.

Example 2
Axiom System:
• Undefined terms: member, committee, on.
• Axiom 1: Every committee has exactly two members on
it.
• Axiom 2: Every member is on at least two committees.
Model:
• Members: Joan, Anne, Blair, Lacey
• Committees: {Joan, Anne}, {Joan, Blair}, {Joan, Lacey},
{Anne, Blair}, {Anne, Lacey}, {Blair, Lacey}
• On: Belonging to the set.

Some facts about statements,
axioms, and models:
• Every theorem of an axiom system is true in any
model of the axiom system.
• A statement P is said to be independent (or
undecidable) of an axiom system if it cannot be
proved or disproved within the system. We can
show a statement P is independent in an axiom
system by showing there is a model of the
system in which P is false (so P can’t be a
theorem), and also a model of the axioms in
which P is true (so the negation of P can’t be a
theorem either).
Example
Axioms:
1. There exist exactly six points.
2. Each line is a set of exactly two points.
3. Each point lies on at least three lines.
Statement 1: Each point lies on exactly three lines.

Statement 2: There is a point which lies on more than three lines.
Possible Alternatives to Axiom 3:

• 3'. Each point lies on exactly three lines.
• 3''. Five of the six points lie on exactly three lines, and the sixth
lies on more than three lines.
• 3'''. Each point lies on exactly four lines.

axioms, and models:
Axiom systems ought to be:
• Consistent, that is, free from contradictions.
This is true provided there is a model for the
system. If so, we know we cannot prove a
contradiction through logical reasoning from the
axioms.
• Independent, so that every axiom is
independent of the others. Thus, each axiom is
essential and cannot be proved from the others.
This can be demonstrated using a series of
models.
axioms, and models:
In addition, axiom systems can be:
• Complete, so that any additional statement
appended as an axiom to the system is either
redundant (already provable from the axioms) or
inconsistent (so its negation is provable).
• Categorical, so that all models for the system
are isomorphic, i.e., exactly the same except for
renaming.

By the way. . . .
One of the great results of modern mathematical
logic is that any consistent mathematical system
rich enough to develop regular old arithmetic will
have undecidable statements. Thus, no such
axiom system can be complete. This was
proved by Kurt Gödel in 1931.
This demonstrates an inherent limitation of

mathematical axiom systems; there is no set of
axioms from which everything can be deduced.
There are a number of philosophical debates
surrounding this issue.
What does this have to do with us?
• In our work in geometry, we will establish
an axiom system a little at a time.
Occasionally, we will stop to consider
whether the axiom we are about to add is
in fact independent of the axioms we have
established so far. Thus, we will have to
have some facility in creating models.

Incidence Geometry
And some models

Incidence Geometry
• Undefined terms: point, line, lie on.
• Axioms:
1. For every pair of distinct points P and Q
there exists exactly one line l such that both
P and Q lie on l.
2. For every line l there exist two distinct points
P and Q such that both P and Q lie on l.
3. There exist three points that do not all lie on
any one line.
Some terminology
• Definition: Three points P, Q, and R are
said to be collinear provided there is one
line l such that P, Q, and R all lie on l. The
points are noncollinear provided no such
line exists.
• (Axiom 3 can now be stated as: “There
exist three noncollinear points.”)

Example
Three point plane:
• Points: Symbols A, B, B
and C.
• Lines: Pairs of points;
{A, B}, {B, C}, {A, C}
• Lie on: “is an element
A C
of”

Example -- NOT
Three point line:
• Points: Symbols A, B,
and C. C
• Lines: The set of all B
points: {A, B, C}
• Lie on: “is an element A
of”

Example
Four-point geometry
• Points: Symbols A, B, A B
C and D.
D
• Lines: Pairs of points:
{A,B}, {A,C}, {A,D},
{B,C}, {B,D}, {C,D}
• Lie on: “is an element C
of”

Example
Fano’s Geometry
• Points: Symbols A, B,
A
C, D, E, F, and G.
• Lines: Any of the F
following: {A,B,C}, E
G
{C,D,E}, {E,F,A},
B
{A,G,D}, {C,G,F},
D
{E,G,B}, {B,D,F}
C
• Lie on: “is an element
of”

Example
Cartesian Plane
• Points: All ordered pairs (x,y) of real numbers
• Lines: Nonempty sets of all points satisfying the
equation ax + by + c = 0 for real numbers a, b, c,
with not both a and b zero.
• Lie on: A point lies on a line if the point makes the
equation of the line true.

Example - NOT
Spherical Geometry:
• Points: {(x, y, z)| x2 + y2 + z2 = 1}

(In other words, points in the geometry are any regular Cartesian
points on the sphere of radius 1 centered at the origin.)
• Lines: Points simultaneously satisfying the equation above and the
equation of a plane passing through the origin; in other words, the
intersections of any plane containing the origin with the unit sphere.
Lines in this model are the “great circles” on the sphere. Great
circles, like lines of longitude on the earth, always have their center
at the center of the sphere.
• Lie on: A point lies on a line if it satisfies the equation of the plane
that forms the line.

Example
The Klein Disk
• Points are all ordered pairs of real numbers which lie
strictly inside the unit circle: {(x,y)| x2 + y2 < 1}.
• Lines are nonempty sets of all points satisfying the
equation ax + by + c = 0 for real numbers a, b, c,
with not both a and b zero.
• Lies on: Like the previous models; points satisfy the
equation of the line.
• Thus, the model is the interior of the unit circle, and
lines are whatever is left of regular lines when they
intersect that interior.

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Axiomatic Systems

Also called Axiom Systems

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 1

A model for an axiom system is a mathematical system in

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 2

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 3

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 4

Statement 1: Each point lies on exactly three lines.

Possible Alternatives to Axiom 3:

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 6

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 8

This demonstrates an inherent limitation of

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 10

And some models

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 11

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 13

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 14

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 15

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 16

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 17

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 18

• Points: {(x, y, z)| x2 + y2 + z2 = 1}

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 19

Friday 8 Sept 2006 Math 362 20

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