An Elementary Course in Synthetic Projective Geometry — John Shaqi
An Elementary Course in Synthetic Projective GeometryLehmer, Derrick Norman
Science
An Elementary Course in Synthetic Projective Geometry
Lehmer, Derrick Norman
Geometry, Projective
*104. Duality.* We have, then, in the pole and polar relation a device
for setting up a one-to-one correspondence between the points and lines of
the plane—a correspondence which may be called projective, because to four
harmonic points or lines correspond always four harmonic lines or points.
To every figure made up of points and lines will correspond a figure made
up of lines and points. To a point-row of the second order, which is a
conic considered as a point-locus, corresponds a pencil of rays of the
second order, which is a conic considered as a line-locus. The name
’duality’ is used to describe this sort of correspondence. It is important
to note that the dual relation is subject to the same exceptions as the
one-to-one correspondence is, and must not be appealed to in cases where
the one-to-one correspondence breaks down. We have seen that there is in
Euclidean geometry one and only one ray in a pencil which has no point in
a point-row perspective to it for a corresponding point; namely, the line
parallel to the line of the point-row. Any theorem, therefore, that
involves explicitly the point at infinity is not to be translated into a
theorem concerning lines. Further, in the pencil the angle between two
lines has nothing to correspond to it in a point-row perspective to the
pencil. Any theorem, therefore, that mentions angles is not translatable
into another theorem by means of the law of duality. Now we have seen that
the notion of the infinitely distant point on a line involves the notion
of dividing a segment into any number of equal parts—in other words, of
_measuring_. If, therefore, we call any theorem that has to do with the
line at infinity or with the measurement of angles a _metrical_ theorem,
and any other kind a _projective_ theorem, we may put the case as follows:
_Any projective theorem involves another theorem, dual to it, obtainable
by interchanging everywhere the words ’point’ and ’line.’_
*105. Self-dual theorems.* The theorems of this chapter will be found,
upon examination, to be _self-dual_; that is, no new theorem results from
applying the process indicated in the preceding paragraph. It is therefore
useless to look for new results from the theorem on the circumscribed
quadrilateral derived from Brianchon’s, which is itself clearly the dual
of Pascal’s theorem, and in fact was first discovered by dualization of
Pascal’s.
*106.* It should not be inferred from the above discussion that
one-to-one correspondences may not be devised that will control certain of
the so-called metrical relations. A very important one may be easily found
that leaves angles unaltered. The relation called _similarity_ leaves
ratios between corresponding segments unaltered. The above statements
apply only to the particular one-to-one correspondence considered.
PROBLEMS
1. Given a quadrilateral, construct the quadrangle polar to it with
respect to a given conic.
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