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mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
, hyperbolic geometry (also called Lobachevskian geometry or BolyaiLobachevskian geometry) is a
non-Euclidean geometry In mathematics, non-Euclidean geometry consists of two geometries based on axioms closely related to those that specify Euclidean geometry. As Euclidean geometry lies at the intersection of metric geometry and affine geometry, non-Euclidean ge ...
. The
parallel postulate In geometry, the parallel postulate is the fifth postulate in Euclid's ''Elements'' and a distinctive axiom in Euclidean geometry. It states that, in two-dimensional geometry: If a line segment intersects two straight lines forming two interior ...
of
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
is replaced with: :For any given line ''R'' and point ''P'' not on ''R'', in the plane containing both line ''R'' and point ''P'' there are at least two distinct lines through ''P'' that do not intersect ''R''. (Compare the above with
Playfair's axiom In geometry, Playfair's axiom is an axiom that can be used instead of the fifth postulate of Euclid (the parallel postulate In geometry, the parallel postulate is the fifth postulate in Euclid's ''Elements'' and a distinctive axiom in Euclidea ...
, the modern version of
Euclid Euclid (; ; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of geometry that largely domina ...
's
parallel postulate In geometry, the parallel postulate is the fifth postulate in Euclid's ''Elements'' and a distinctive axiom in Euclidean geometry. It states that, in two-dimensional geometry: If a line segment intersects two straight lines forming two interior ...
.) The hyperbolic plane is a plane where every point is a
saddle point In mathematics, a saddle point or minimax point is a Point (geometry), point on the surface (mathematics), surface of the graph of a function where the slopes (derivatives) in orthogonal directions are all zero (a Critical point (mathematics), ...
. Hyperbolic plane
geometry Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...
is also the geometry of pseudospherical surfaces, surfaces with a constant negative
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
.
Saddle surface In mathematics, a saddle point or minimax point is a point on the surface of the graph of a function where the slopes (derivatives) in orthogonal directions are all zero (a critical point), but which is not a local extremum of the function. ...
s have negative Gaussian curvature in at least some regions, where they
locally In mathematics, a mathematical object is said to satisfy a property locally, if the property is satisfied on some limited, immediate portions of the object (e.g., on some ''sufficiently small'' or ''arbitrarily small'' neighborhoods of points). P ...
resemble the hyperbolic plane. The
hyperboloid model In geometry, the hyperboloid model, also known as the Minkowski model after Hermann Minkowski, is a model of ''n''-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which points are represented by points on the forward sheet ''S''+ of a two-sheeted hyperboloi ...
of hyperbolic geometry provides a representation of events one temporal unit into the future in
Minkowski space In physics, Minkowski space (or Minkowski spacetime) () is the main mathematical description of spacetime in the absence of gravitation. It combines inertial space and time manifolds into a four-dimensional model. The model helps show how a ...
, the basis of
special relativity In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory of the relationship between Spacetime, space and time. In Albert Einstein's 1905 paper, Annus Mirabilis papers#Special relativity, "On the Ele ...
. Each of these events corresponds to a
rapidity In special relativity, the classical concept of velocity is converted to rapidity to accommodate the limit determined by the speed of light. Velocities must be combined by Einstein's velocity-addition formula. For low speeds, rapidity and velo ...
in some direction. When geometers first realised they were working with something other than the standard Euclidean geometry, they described their geometry under many different names;
Felix Klein Felix Christian Klein (; ; 25 April 1849 – 22 June 1925) was a German mathematician and Mathematics education, mathematics educator, known for his work in group theory, complex analysis, non-Euclidean geometry, and the associations betwe ...
finally gave the subject the name hyperbolic geometry to include it in the now rarely used sequence
elliptic geometry Elliptic geometry is an example of a geometry in which Euclid's parallel postulate does not hold. Instead, as in spherical geometry, there are no parallel lines since any two lines must intersect. However, unlike in spherical geometry, two lines ...
(
spherical geometry 300px, A sphere with a spherical triangle on it. Spherical geometry or spherics () is the geometry of the two-dimensional surface of a sphere or the -dimensional surface of higher dimensional spheres. Long studied for its practical applicati ...
), parabolic geometry (
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
), and hyperbolic geometry. In the
former Soviet Union The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...
, it is commonly called Lobachevskian geometry, named after one of its discoverers, the Russian geometer
Nikolai Lobachevsky Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky (; , ; – ) was a Russian mathematician and geometer, known primarily for his work on hyperbolic geometry, otherwise known as Lobachevskian geometry, and also for his fundamental study on Dirichlet integrals, kno ...
.


Properties


Relation to Euclidean geometry

Hyperbolic geometry is more closely related to Euclidean geometry than it seems: the only
axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...
atic difference is the
parallel postulate In geometry, the parallel postulate is the fifth postulate in Euclid's ''Elements'' and a distinctive axiom in Euclidean geometry. It states that, in two-dimensional geometry: If a line segment intersects two straight lines forming two interior ...
. When the parallel postulate is removed from Euclidean geometry the resulting geometry is
absolute geometry Absolute geometry is a geometry based on an axiom system for Euclidean geometry without the parallel postulate or any of its alternatives. Traditionally, this has meant using only the first four of Euclid's postulates. The term was introduced by ...
. There are two kinds of absolute geometry, Euclidean and hyperbolic. All theorems of absolute geometry, including the first 28 propositions of book one of Euclid's ''Elements'', are valid in Euclidean and hyperbolic geometry. Propositions 27 and 28 of Book One of Euclid's ''Elements'' prove the existence of parallel/non-intersecting lines. This difference also has many consequences: concepts that are equivalent in Euclidean geometry are not equivalent in hyperbolic geometry; new concepts need to be introduced. Further, because of the
angle of parallelism In hyperbolic geometry, angle of parallelism \Pi(a) is the angle at the non-right angle vertex of a right hyperbolic triangle having two limiting parallel, asymptotic parallel sides. The angle depends on the segment length ''a'' between the ri ...
, hyperbolic geometry has an
absolute scale There is no single definition of an absolute scale. In statistics and measurement theory, it is simply a ratio scale in which the unit of measurement is fixed, and values are obtained by counting. Another definition tells us it is the count of the ...
, a relation between distance and angle measurements.


Lines

Single lines in hyperbolic geometry have exactly the same properties as single straight lines in Euclidean geometry. For example, two points uniquely define a line, and line segments can be infinitely extended. Two intersecting lines have the same properties as two intersecting lines in Euclidean geometry. For example, two distinct lines can intersect in no more than one point, intersecting lines form equal opposite angles, and adjacent angles of intersecting lines are supplementary. When a third line is introduced, then there can be properties of intersecting lines that differ from intersecting lines in Euclidean geometry. For example, given two intersecting lines there are infinitely many lines that do not intersect either of the given lines. These properties are all independent of the
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
used, even if the lines may look radically different.


Non-intersecting / parallel lines

Non-intersecting lines in hyperbolic geometry also have properties that differ from non-intersecting lines in
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
: :For any line ''R'' and any point ''P'' which does not lie on ''R'', in the plane containing line ''R'' and point ''P'' there are at least two distinct lines through ''P'' that do not intersect ''R''. This implies that there are through ''P'' an infinite number of coplanar lines that do not intersect ''R''. These non-intersecting lines are divided into two classes: * Two of the lines (''x'' and ''y'' in the diagram) are
limiting parallel In neutral or absolute geometry, and in hyperbolic geometry, there may be many lines parallel to a given line l through a point P not on line R; however, in the plane, two parallels may be closer to l than all others (one in each direction of R). ...
s (sometimes called critically parallel, horoparallel or just parallel): there is one in the direction of each of the ideal points at the "ends" of ''R'', asymptotically approaching ''R'', always getting closer to ''R'', but never meeting it. * All other non-intersecting lines have a point of minimum distance and diverge from both sides of that point, and are called ''ultraparallel'', ''diverging parallel'' or sometimes ''non-intersecting.'' Some geometers simply use the phrase "''parallel'' lines" to mean "''limiting parallel'' lines", with ''ultraparallel'' lines meaning just ''non-intersecting''. These
limiting parallel In neutral or absolute geometry, and in hyperbolic geometry, there may be many lines parallel to a given line l through a point P not on line R; however, in the plane, two parallels may be closer to l than all others (one in each direction of R). ...
s make an angle ''θ'' with ''PB''; this angle depends only on the
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
of the plane and the distance ''PB'' and is called the
angle of parallelism In hyperbolic geometry, angle of parallelism \Pi(a) is the angle at the non-right angle vertex of a right hyperbolic triangle having two limiting parallel, asymptotic parallel sides. The angle depends on the segment length ''a'' between the ri ...
. For ultraparallel lines, the
ultraparallel theorem In hyperbolic geometry, two lines are said to be ultraparallel if they do not intersect and are not limiting parallel. The ultraparallel theorem states that every pair of (distinct) ultraparallel lines has a unique common perpendicular (a hyper ...
states that there is a unique line in the hyperbolic plane that is perpendicular to each pair of ultraparallel lines.


Circles and disks

In hyperbolic geometry, the circumference of a circle of radius ''r'' is greater than 2 \pi r . Let R = \frac , where K is the
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
of the plane. In hyperbolic geometry, K is negative, so the square root is of a positive number. Then the circumference of a circle of radius ''r'' is equal to: :2\pi R \sinh \frac \,. And the area of the enclosed disk is: :4\pi R^2 \sinh^2 \frac = 2\pi R^2 \left(\cosh \frac - 1\right) \,. Therefore, in hyperbolic geometry the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius is always strictly greater than 2\pi , though it can be made arbitrarily close by selecting a small enough circle. If the Gaussian curvature of the plane is −1 then the
geodesic curvature In Riemannian geometry, the geodesic curvature k_g of a curve \gamma measures how far the curve is from being a geodesic. For example, for 1D curves on a 2D surface embedded in 3D space, it is the curvature of the curve projected onto the surface' ...
of a circle of radius ''r'' is: \frac


Hypercycles and horocycles

In hyperbolic geometry, there is no line whose points are all equidistant from another line. Instead, the points that are all the same distance from a given line lie on a curve called a hypercycle. Another special curve is the horocycle, whose normal radii (
perpendicular In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', � ...
lines) are all
limiting parallel In neutral or absolute geometry, and in hyperbolic geometry, there may be many lines parallel to a given line l through a point P not on line R; however, in the plane, two parallels may be closer to l than all others (one in each direction of R). ...
to each other (all converge asymptotically in one direction to the same ideal point, the centre of the horocycle). Through every pair of points there are two horocycles. The centres of the horocycles are the ideal points of the
perpendicular bisector In geometry, bisection is the division of something into two equal or congruent parts (having the same shape and size). Usually it involves a bisecting line, also called a ''bisector''. The most often considered types of bisectors are the ''se ...
of the line-segment between them. Given any three distinct points, they all lie on either a line, hypercycle, horocycle, or circle. The length of a line-segment is the shortest length between two points. The arc-length of a hypercycle connecting two points is longer than that of the line segment and shorter than that of the arc horocycle, connecting the same two points. The lengths of the arcs of both horocycles connecting two points are equal, and are longer than the arclength of any hypercycle connecting the points and shorter than the arc of any circle connecting the two points. If the Gaussian curvature of the plane is −1, then the
geodesic curvature In Riemannian geometry, the geodesic curvature k_g of a curve \gamma measures how far the curve is from being a geodesic. For example, for 1D curves on a 2D surface embedded in 3D space, it is the curvature of the curve projected onto the surface' ...
of a horocycle is 1 and that of a hypercycle is between 0 and 1.


Triangles

Unlike Euclidean triangles, where the angles always add up to π
radian The radian, denoted by the symbol rad, is the unit of angle in the International System of Units (SI) and is the standard unit of angular measure used in many areas of mathematics. It is defined such that one radian is the angle subtended at ...
s (180°, a
straight angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight lines at a point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a plane formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing ...
), in hyperbolic space the sum of the angles of a triangle is always strictly less than π radians (180°). The difference is called the defect. Generally, the defect of a convex hyperbolic polygon with n sides is its angle sum subtracted from (n - 2) \cdot 180^\circ. The area of a hyperbolic triangle is given by its defect in radians multiplied by ''R'', which is also true for all convex hyperbolic polygons. Therefore all hyperbolic triangles have an area less than or equal to ''R''π. The area of a hyperbolic ideal triangle in which all three angles are 0° is equal to this maximum. As in
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
, each hyperbolic triangle has an
incircle In geometry, the incircle or inscribed circle of a triangle is the largest circle that can be contained in the triangle; it touches (is tangent to) the three sides. The center of the incircle is a triangle center called the triangle's incenter ...
. In hyperbolic space, if all three of its vertices lie on a horocycle or hypercycle, then the triangle has no
circumscribed circle In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circu ...
. As in
spherical A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...
and elliptical geometry, in hyperbolic geometry if two triangles are similar, they must be congruent.


Regular apeirogon and pseudogon

Special polygons in hyperbolic geometry are the regular
apeirogon In geometry, an apeirogon () or infinite polygon is a polygon with an infinite number of sides. Apeirogons are the rank 2 case of infinite polytopes. In some literature, the term "apeirogon" may refer only to the regular apeirogon, with an in ...
and pseudogon uniform polygons with an infinite number of sides. In
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
, the only way to construct such a polygon is to make the side lengths tend to zero and the apeirogon is indistinguishable from a circle, or make the interior angles tend to 180° and the apeirogon approaches a straight line. However, in hyperbolic geometry, a regular apeirogon or pseudogon has sides of any length (i.e., it remains a polygon with noticeable sides). The side and angle bisectors will, depending on the side length and the angle between the sides, be limiting or diverging parallel. If the bisectors are limiting parallel then it is an apeirogon and can be inscribed and circumscribed by concentric horocycles. If the bisectors are diverging parallel then it is a pseudogon and can be inscribed and circumscribed by hypercycles (since all its vertices are the same distance from a line, the axis, and the midpoints of its sides are also equidistant from that same axis).


Tessellations

Like the Euclidean plane it is also possible to tessellate the hyperbolic plane with
regular polygon In Euclidean geometry, a regular polygon is a polygon that is Equiangular polygon, direct equiangular (all angles are equal in measure) and Equilateral polygon, equilateral (all sides have the same length). Regular polygons may be either ''convex ...
s as faces. There are an infinite number of uniform tilings based on the Schwarz triangles (''p'' ''q'' ''r'') where 1/''p'' + 1/''q'' + 1/''r'' < 1, where ''p'', ''q'', ''r'' are each orders of reflection symmetry at three points of the fundamental domain triangle, the symmetry group is a hyperbolic
triangle group In mathematics, a triangle group is a group that can be realized geometrically by sequences of reflections across the sides of a triangle. The triangle can be an ordinary Euclidean triangle, a triangle on the sphere, or a hyperbolic triang ...
. There are also infinitely many uniform tilings that cannot be generated from Schwarz triangles, some for example requiring quadrilaterals as fundamental domains.


Standardized Gaussian curvature

Though hyperbolic geometry applies for any surface with a constant negative
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
, it is usual to assume a scale in which the curvature ''K'' is −1. This results in some formulas becoming simpler. Some examples are: * The area of a triangle is equal to its angle defect in
radian The radian, denoted by the symbol rad, is the unit of angle in the International System of Units (SI) and is the standard unit of angular measure used in many areas of mathematics. It is defined such that one radian is the angle subtended at ...
s. * The area of a horocyclic sector is equal to the length of its horocyclic arc. * An arc of a horocycle so that a line that is tangent at one endpoint is
limiting parallel In neutral or absolute geometry, and in hyperbolic geometry, there may be many lines parallel to a given line l through a point P not on line R; however, in the plane, two parallels may be closer to l than all others (one in each direction of R). ...
to the radius through the other endpoint has a length of 1. * The ratio of the arc lengths between two radii of two concentric horocycles where the horocycles are a distance 1 apart is ''e'' :1.


Cartesian-like coordinate systems

Compared to Euclidean geometry, hyperbolic geometry presents many difficulties for a coordinate system: the angle sum of a
quadrilateral In Euclidean geometry, geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four Edge (geometry), edges (sides) and four Vertex (geometry), corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''l ...
is always less than 360°; there are no equidistant lines, so a proper rectangle would need to be enclosed by two lines and two hypercycles; parallel-transporting a line segment around a quadrilateral causes it to rotate when it returns to the origin; etc. There are however different coordinate systems for hyperbolic plane geometry. All are based around choosing a point (the origin) on a chosen directed line (the ''x''-axis) and after that many choices exist. The Lobachevsky coordinates ''x'' and ''y'' are found by dropping a perpendicular onto the ''x''-axis. ''x'' will be the label of the foot of the perpendicular. ''y'' will be the distance along the perpendicular of the given point from its foot (positive on one side and negative on the other). Another coordinate system measures the distance from the point to the horocycle through the origin centered around (0, + \infty ) and the length along this horocycle. Other coordinate systems use the Klein model or the Poincaré disk model described below, and take the Euclidean coordinates as hyperbolic.


Distance

A Cartesian-like coordinate system (''x, y'') on the oriented hyperbolic plane is constructed as follows. Choose a line in the hyperbolic plane together with an orientation and an origin ''o'' on this line. Then: *the ''x''-coordinate of a point is the signed distance of its projection onto the line (the foot of the perpendicular segment to the line from that point) to the origin; *the ''y''-coordinate is the signed
distance Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects, points, people, or ideas are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two co ...
from the point to the line, with the sign according to whether the point is on the positive or negative side of the oriented line. The distance between two points represented by (''x_i, y_i''), ''i=1,2'' in this coordinate system is \operatorname (\langle x_1, y_1 \rangle, \langle x_2, y_2 \rangle) = \operatorname \left( \cosh y_1 \cosh (x_2 - x_1) \cosh y_2 - \sinh y_1 \sinh y_2 \right) \,. This formula can be derived from the formulas about
hyperbolic triangle In hyperbolic geometry, a hyperbolic triangle is a triangle in the hyperbolic plane. It consists of three line segments called ''sides'' or ''edges'' and three point (geometry), points called ''angles'' or ''vertices''. Just as in the Euclidea ...
s. The corresponding metric tensor field is: (\mathrm s)^2 = \cosh^2 y \, (\mathrm x)^2 + (\mathrm y)^2 . In this coordinate system, straight lines take one of these forms ((''x'', ''y'') is a point on the line; ''x''0, ''y''0, ''A'', and ''α'' are parameters): ultraparallel to the ''x''-axis : \tanh (y) = \tanh (y_0) \cosh (x - x_0) asymptotically parallel on the negative side : \tanh (y) = A \exp (x) asymptotically parallel on the positive side : \tanh (y) = A \exp (- x) intersecting perpendicularly : x = x_0 intersecting at an angle ''α'' : \tanh (y) = \tan (\alpha) \sinh (x - x_0) Generally, these equations will only hold in a bounded domain (of ''x'' values). At the edge of that domain, the value of ''y'' blows up to ±infinity.


History

Since the publication of Euclid's ''Elements'' circa 300BC, many
geometers A geometer is a mathematician whose area of study is the historical aspects that define geometry, instead of the analytical geometric studies that becomes conducted from geometricians. Some notable geometers and their main fields of work, chr ...
tried to prove the
parallel postulate In geometry, the parallel postulate is the fifth postulate in Euclid's ''Elements'' and a distinctive axiom in Euclidean geometry. It states that, in two-dimensional geometry: If a line segment intersects two straight lines forming two interior ...
. Some tried to prove it by assuming its negation and trying to derive a contradiction. Foremost among these were
Proclus Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor (, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers of late antiquity. He set forth one of th ...
,
Ibn al-Haytham Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham (Latinization of names, Latinized as Alhazen; ; full name ; ) was a medieval Mathematics in medieval Islam, mathematician, Astronomy in the medieval Islamic world, astronomer, and Physics in the medieval Islamic world, p ...
(Alhacen),
Omar Khayyám Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) ( Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar Khayyam (), was ...
,
Nasīr al-Dīn al-Tūsī Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī (1201 – 1274), also known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (; ) or simply as (al-)Tusi, was a Persian polymath, architect, philosopher, physician, scientist, and theologian. Nasir al-Din al-Tu ...
,
Witelo Vitello (; ; – 1280/1314) was a Polish friar, theologian, natural philosopher and an important figure in the history of philosophy in Poland. Name Vitello's name varies with some sources. In earlier publications he was quoted as Erazmus C ...
,
Gersonides Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 20 April 1344), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus, or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as ''RaLBaG'', was a medieval French Jewish philosoph ...
,
Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
, and later Giovanni Gerolamo Saccheri,
John Wallis John Wallis (; ; ) was an English clergyman and mathematician, who is given partial credit for the development of infinitesimal calculus. Between 1643 and 1689 Wallis served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal court. ...
,
Johann Heinrich Lambert Johann Heinrich Lambert (; ; 26 or 28 August 1728 – 25 September 1777) was a polymath from the Republic of Mulhouse, at that time allied to the Switzerland, Swiss Confederacy, who made important contributions to the subjects of mathematics, phys ...
, and Legendre. Their attempts were doomed to failure (as we now know, the parallel postulate is not provable from the other postulates), but their efforts led to the discovery of hyperbolic geometry. The theorems of Alhacen, Khayyam and al-Tūsī on
quadrilateral In Euclidean geometry, geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four Edge (geometry), edges (sides) and four Vertex (geometry), corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''l ...
s, including the Ibn al-Haytham–Lambert quadrilateral and Khayyam–Saccheri quadrilateral, were the first theorems on hyperbolic geometry. Their works on hyperbolic geometry had a considerable influence on its development among later European geometers, including Witelo, Gersonides, Alfonso, John Wallis and Saccheri. In the 18th century,
Johann Heinrich Lambert Johann Heinrich Lambert (; ; 26 or 28 August 1728 – 25 September 1777) was a polymath from the Republic of Mulhouse, at that time allied to the Switzerland, Swiss Confederacy, who made important contributions to the subjects of mathematics, phys ...
introduced the
hyperbolic functions In mathematics, hyperbolic functions are analogues of the ordinary trigonometric functions, but defined using the hyperbola rather than the circle. Just as the points form a circle with a unit radius, the points form the right half of the u ...
and computed the area of a
hyperbolic triangle In hyperbolic geometry, a hyperbolic triangle is a triangle in the hyperbolic plane. It consists of three line segments called ''sides'' or ''edges'' and three point (geometry), points called ''angles'' or ''vertices''. Just as in the Euclidea ...
.


19th-century developments

In the 19th century, hyperbolic geometry was explored extensively by
Nikolai Lobachevsky Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky (; , ; – ) was a Russian mathematician and geometer, known primarily for his work on hyperbolic geometry, otherwise known as Lobachevskian geometry, and also for his fundamental study on Dirichlet integrals, kno ...
, János Bolyai,
Carl Friedrich Gauss Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss (; ; ; 30 April 177723 February 1855) was a German mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, and physicist, who contributed to many fields in mathematics and science. He was director of the Göttingen Observatory and ...
and Franz Taurinus. Unlike their predecessors, who just wanted to eliminate the parallel postulate from the axioms of Euclidean geometry, these authors realized they had discovered a new geometry. Gauss wrote in an 1824 letter to Franz Taurinus that he had constructed it, but Gauss did not publish his work. Gauss called it "
non-Euclidean geometry In mathematics, non-Euclidean geometry consists of two geometries based on axioms closely related to those that specify Euclidean geometry. As Euclidean geometry lies at the intersection of metric geometry and affine geometry, non-Euclidean ge ...
" causing several modern authors to continue to consider "non-Euclidean geometry" and "hyperbolic geometry" to be synonyms. Taurinus published results on hyperbolic trigonometry in 1826, argued that hyperbolic geometry is self-consistent, but still believed in the special role of Euclidean geometry. The complete system of hyperbolic geometry was published by Lobachevsky in 1829/1830, while Bolyai discovered it independently and published in 1832. In 1868,
Eugenio Beltrami Eugenio Beltrami (16 November 1835 – 18 February 1900) was an Italian mathematician notable for his work concerning differential geometry and mathematical physics. His work was noted especially for clarity of exposition. He was the first to ...
provided models of hyperbolic geometry, and used this to prove that hyperbolic geometry was consistent
if and only if In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (often shortened as "iff") is paraphrased by the biconditional, a logical connective between statements. The biconditional is true in two cases, where either bo ...
Euclidean geometry was. The term "hyperbolic geometry" was introduced by
Felix Klein Felix Christian Klein (; ; 25 April 1849 – 22 June 1925) was a German mathematician and Mathematics education, mathematics educator, known for his work in group theory, complex analysis, non-Euclidean geometry, and the associations betwe ...
in 1871. Klein followed an initiative of
Arthur Cayley Arthur Cayley (; 16 August 1821 – 26 January 1895) was a British mathematician who worked mostly on algebra. He helped found the modern British school of pure mathematics, and was a professor at Trinity College, Cambridge for 35 years. He ...
to use the transformations of
projective geometry In mathematics, projective geometry is the study of geometric properties that are invariant with respect to projective transformations. This means that, compared to elementary Euclidean geometry, projective geometry has a different setting (''p ...
to produce
isometries In mathematics, an isometry (or congruence, or congruent transformation) is a distance-preserving transformation between metric spaces, usually assumed to be bijective. The word isometry is derived from the Ancient Greek: ἴσος ''isos'' mea ...
. The idea used a
conic section A conic section, conic or a quadratic curve is a curve obtained from a cone's surface intersecting a plane. The three types of conic section are the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse; the circle is a special case of the ellipse, tho ...
or
quadric In mathematics, a quadric or quadric surface is a generalization of conic sections (ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas). In three-dimensional space, quadrics include ellipsoids, paraboloids, and hyperboloids. More generally, a quadric hype ...
to define a region, and used
cross ratio In geometry, the cross-ratio, also called the double ratio and anharmonic ratio, is a number associated with a list of four collinear points, particularly points on a projective line. Given four points , , , on a line, their cross ratio is defin ...
to define a
metric Metric or metrical may refer to: Measuring * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics ...
. The projective transformations that leave the conic section or quadric
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
are the isometries. "Klein showed that if the
Cayley absolute Cayley may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Cayley (surname) * Cayley Illingworth (1759–1823), Anglican Archdeacon of Stow * Cayley Mercer (born 1994), Canadian women's ice hockey player Places * Cayley, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet ** Cayley/A. J. ...
is a real curve then the part of the projective plane in its interior is isometric to the hyperbolic plane..."


Philosophical consequences

The discovery of hyperbolic geometry had important
philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
consequences. Before its discovery many philosophers (such as
Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered to be one of the founders ...
and
Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (24 November 163221 February 1677), also known under his Latinized pen name Benedictus de Spinoza, was a philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, who was born in the Dutch Republic. A forerunner of the Age of Enlightenmen ...
) viewed philosophical rigor in terms of the "geometrical method", referring to the method of reasoning used in Euclid's ''Elements''.
Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...
in ''Critique of Pure Reason'' concluded that space (in
Euclidean geometry Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematics, Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry, ''Euclid's Elements, Elements''. Euclid's approach consists in assuming a small set ...
) and time are not discovered by humans as objective features of the world, but are part of an unavoidable systematic framework for organizing our experiences. It is said that Gauss did not publish anything about hyperbolic geometry out of fear of the "uproar of the
Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia (; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Central Greece (adm ...
ns" (stereotyped as dullards by the ancient Athenians), which would ruin his status as ''princeps mathematicorum'' (Latin, "the Prince of Mathematicians"). The "uproar of the Boeotians" came and went, and gave an impetus to great improvements in
mathematical rigour Rigour (British English) or rigor (American English; see spelling differences) describes a condition of stiffness or strictness. These constraints may be environmentally imposed, such as "the rigours of famine"; logically imposed, such as ma ...
,
analytical philosophy Analytic philosophy is a broad movement within Western philosophy, especially English-speaking world, anglophone philosophy, focused on analysis as a philosophical method; clarity of prose; rigor in arguments; and making use of formal logic, mat ...
and
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
. Hyperbolic geometry was finally proved consistent and is therefore another valid geometry.


Geometry of the universe (spatial dimensions only)

Because Euclidean, hyperbolic and elliptic geometry are all consistent, the question arises: which is the real geometry of space, and if it is hyperbolic or elliptic, what is its curvature? Lobachevsky had already tried to measure the curvature of the universe by measuring the
parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different sightline, lines of sight and is measured by the angle or half-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to perspective (graphica ...
of
Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated  Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...
and treating Sirius as the ideal point of an
angle of parallelism In hyperbolic geometry, angle of parallelism \Pi(a) is the angle at the non-right angle vertex of a right hyperbolic triangle having two limiting parallel, asymptotic parallel sides. The angle depends on the segment length ''a'' between the ri ...
. He realized that his measurements were not precise enough to give a definite answer, but he did reach the conclusion that if the geometry of the universe is hyperbolic, then the absolute length is at least one million times the diameter of
Earth's orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an astronomical unit, average distance of , or 8.317 light-second, light-minutes, in a retrograde and prograde motion, counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes & ...
(, 10
parsec The parsec (symbol: pc) is a unit of length used to measure the large distances to astronomical objects outside the Solar System, approximately equal to or (AU), i.e. . The parsec unit is obtained by the use of parallax and trigonometry, and ...
). Some argue that his measurements were methodologically flawed.
Henri Poincaré Jules Henri Poincaré (, ; ; 29 April 185417 July 1912) was a French mathematician, Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosophy of science, philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathemati ...
, with his sphere-world
thought experiment A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario that is meant to elucidate or test an argument or theory. It is often an experiment that would be hard, impossible, or unethical to actually perform. It can also be an abstract hypothetical that is ...
, came to the conclusion that everyday experience does not necessarily rule out other geometries. The
geometrization conjecture In mathematics, Thurston's geometrization conjecture (now a theorem) states that each of certain three-dimensional topological spaces has a unique geometric structure that can be associated with it. It is an analogue of the uniformization theor ...
gives a complete list of eight possibilities for the fundamental geometry of our space. The problem in determining which one applies is that, to reach a definitive answer, we need to be able to look at extremely large shapes – much larger than anything on Earth or perhaps even in our galaxy.


Geometry of the universe (special relativity)

Special relativity In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory of the relationship between Spacetime, space and time. In Albert Einstein's 1905 paper, Annus Mirabilis papers#Special relativity, "On the Ele ...
places space and time on equal footing, so that one considers the geometry of a unified
spacetime In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualiz ...
instead of considering space and time separately. Minkowski geometry replaces Galilean geometry (which is the 3-dimensional Euclidean space with time of
Galilean relativity Galilean invariance or Galilean relativity states that the laws of motion are the same in all inertial frames of reference. Galileo Galilei first described this principle in 1632 in his ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' using t ...
). In relativity, rather than Euclidean, elliptic and hyperbolic geometry, the appropriate geometries to consider are
Minkowski space In physics, Minkowski space (or Minkowski spacetime) () is the main mathematical description of spacetime in the absence of gravitation. It combines inertial space and time manifolds into a four-dimensional model. The model helps show how a ...
,
de Sitter space In mathematical physics, ''n''-dimensional de Sitter space (often denoted dS''n'') is a maximally symmetric Lorentzian manifold with constant positive scalar curvature. It is the Lorentzian analogue of an ''n''-sphere (with its canonical Rie ...
and
anti-de Sitter space In mathematics and physics, ''n''-dimensional anti-de Sitter space (AdS''n'') is a symmetric_space, maximally symmetric Lorentzian manifold with constant negative scalar curvature. Anti-de Sitter space and de Sitter space are na ...
, corresponding to zero, positive and negative curvature respectively. Hyperbolic geometry enters special relativity through
rapidity In special relativity, the classical concept of velocity is converted to rapidity to accommodate the limit determined by the speed of light. Velocities must be combined by Einstein's velocity-addition formula. For low speeds, rapidity and velo ...
, which stands in for
velocity Velocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion. It is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of physical objects. Velocity is a vector (geometry), vector Physical q ...
, and is expressed by a
hyperbolic angle In geometry, hyperbolic angle is a real number determined by the area of the corresponding hyperbolic sector of ''xy'' = 1 in Quadrant I of the Cartesian plane. The hyperbolic angle parametrizes the unit hyperbola, which has hyperbolic functio ...
. The study of this velocity geometry has been called kinematic geometry. The space of relativistic velocities has a three-dimensional hyperbolic geometry, where the distance function is determined from the relative velocities of "nearby" points (velocities).


Physical realizations of the hyperbolic plane

There exist various
pseudosphere In geometry, a pseudosphere is a surface with constant negative Gaussian curvature. A pseudosphere of radius is a surface in \mathbb^3 having Gaussian curvature, curvature −1/''R''2 at each point. Its name comes from the analogy with the sphere ...
s in Euclidean space that have a finite area of constant negative Gaussian curvature. By Hilbert's theorem, one cannot isometrically immerse a complete hyperbolic plane (a complete regular surface of constant negative
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
) in a 3-D Euclidean space. Other useful
models A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided int ...
of hyperbolic geometry exist in Euclidean space, in which the metric is not preserved. A particularly well-known paper model based on the
pseudosphere In geometry, a pseudosphere is a surface with constant negative Gaussian curvature. A pseudosphere of radius is a surface in \mathbb^3 having Gaussian curvature, curvature −1/''R''2 at each point. Its name comes from the analogy with the sphere ...
is due to
William Thurston William Paul Thurston (October 30, 1946August 21, 2012) was an American mathematician. He was a pioneer in the field of low-dimensional topology and was awarded the Fields Medal in 1982 for his contributions to the study of 3-manifolds. Thurst ...
. The art of
crochet Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread (yarn), thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', which means 'hook'. Hooks can be made ...
has been used to demonstrate hyperbolic planes, the first such demonstration having been made by Daina Taimiņa. In 2000, Keith Henderson demonstrated a quick-to-make paper model dubbed the " hyperbolic soccerball" (more precisely, a truncated order-7 triangular tiling). Instructions on how to make a hyperbolic quilt, designed by Helaman Ferguson, have been made available by Jeff Weeks.


Models of the hyperbolic plane

Various
pseudosphere In geometry, a pseudosphere is a surface with constant negative Gaussian curvature. A pseudosphere of radius is a surface in \mathbb^3 having Gaussian curvature, curvature −1/''R''2 at each point. Its name comes from the analogy with the sphere ...
s – surfaces with constant negative Gaussian curvature – can be embedded in 3-D space under the standard Euclidean metric, and so can be made into tangible models. Of these, the tractoid (or pseudosphere) is the best known; using the tractoid as a model of the hyperbolic plane is analogous to using a
cone In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the '' apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines ...
or
cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...
as a model of the Euclidean plane. However, the entire hyperbolic plane cannot be embedded into Euclidean space in this way, and various other models are more convenient for abstractly exploring hyperbolic geometry. There are four
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
s commonly used for hyperbolic geometry: the
Klein model Klein may refer to: People *Klein (surname) * Klein (musician) Places * Klein (crater), a lunar feature * Klein, Montana, United States * Klein, Texas, United States * Klein (Ohm), a river of Hesse, Germany, tributary of the Ohm * Klein River, a ...
, the
Poincaré disk model In geometry, the Poincaré disk model, also called the conformal disk model, is a model of 2-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which all points are inside the unit disk, and straight lines are either circular arcs contained within the disk t ...
, the
Poincaré half-plane model In non-Euclidean geometry, the Poincaré half-plane model is a way of representing the hyperbolic plane using points in the familiar Euclidean plane. Specifically, each point in the hyperbolic plane is represented using a Euclidean point with co ...
, and the Lorentz or
hyperboloid model In geometry, the hyperboloid model, also known as the Minkowski model after Hermann Minkowski, is a model of ''n''-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which points are represented by points on the forward sheet ''S''+ of a two-sheeted hyperboloi ...
. These models define a hyperbolic plane which satisfies the axioms of a hyperbolic geometry. Despite their names, the first three mentioned above were introduced as models of hyperbolic space by Beltrami, not by
Poincaré Poincaré is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Henri Poincaré Jules Henri Poincaré (, ; ; 29 April 185417 July 1912) was a French mathematician, Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philos ...
or Klein. All these models are extendable to more dimensions.


The Beltrami–Klein model

The Beltrami–Klein model, also known as the projective disk model, Klein disk model and
Klein model Klein may refer to: People *Klein (surname) * Klein (musician) Places * Klein (crater), a lunar feature * Klein, Montana, United States * Klein, Texas, United States * Klein (Ohm), a river of Hesse, Germany, tributary of the Ohm * Klein River, a ...
, is named after
Eugenio Beltrami Eugenio Beltrami (16 November 1835 – 18 February 1900) was an Italian mathematician notable for his work concerning differential geometry and mathematical physics. His work was noted especially for clarity of exposition. He was the first to ...
and
Felix Klein Felix Christian Klein (; ; 25 April 1849 – 22 June 1925) was a German mathematician and Mathematics education, mathematics educator, known for his work in group theory, complex analysis, non-Euclidean geometry, and the associations betwe ...
. For the two dimensions this model uses the interior of the
unit circle In mathematics, a unit circle is a circle of unit radius—that is, a radius of 1. Frequently, especially in trigonometry, the unit circle is the circle of radius 1 centered at the origin (0, 0) in the Cartesian coordinate system in the Eucli ...
for the complete hyperbolic plane, and the
chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...
of this circle are the hyperbolic lines. For higher dimensions this model uses the interior of the
unit ball Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...
, and the
chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...
of this ''n''-ball are the hyperbolic lines. * This model has the advantage that lines are straight, but the disadvantage that
angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...
s are distorted (the mapping is not conformal), and also circles are not represented as circles. * The distance in this model is half the logarithm of the
cross-ratio In geometry, the cross-ratio, also called the double ratio and anharmonic ratio, is a number associated with a list of four collinear points, particularly points on a projective line. Given four points , , , on a line, their cross ratio is defin ...
, which was introduced by
Arthur Cayley Arthur Cayley (; 16 August 1821 – 26 January 1895) was a British mathematician who worked mostly on algebra. He helped found the modern British school of pure mathematics, and was a professor at Trinity College, Cambridge for 35 years. He ...
in
projective geometry In mathematics, projective geometry is the study of geometric properties that are invariant with respect to projective transformations. This means that, compared to elementary Euclidean geometry, projective geometry has a different setting (''p ...
.


The Poincaré disk model

The
Poincaré disk model In geometry, the Poincaré disk model, also called the conformal disk model, is a model of 2-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which all points are inside the unit disk, and straight lines are either circular arcs contained within the disk t ...
, also known as the conformal disk model, also employs the interior of the
unit circle In mathematics, a unit circle is a circle of unit radius—that is, a radius of 1. Frequently, especially in trigonometry, the unit circle is the circle of radius 1 centered at the origin (0, 0) in the Cartesian coordinate system in the Eucli ...
, but lines are represented by arcs of circles that are
orthogonal In mathematics, orthogonality (mathematics), orthogonality is the generalization of the geometric notion of ''perpendicularity''. Although many authors use the two terms ''perpendicular'' and ''orthogonal'' interchangeably, the term ''perpendic ...
to the boundary circle, plus diameters of the boundary circle. * This model preserves angles, and is thereby conformal. All isometries within this model are therefore
Möbius transformation In geometry and complex analysis, a Möbius transformation of the complex plane is a rational function of the form f(z) = \frac of one complex number, complex variable ; here the coefficients , , , are complex numbers satisfying . Geometrically ...
s. * Circles entirely within the disk remain circles although the Euclidean center of the circle is closer to the center of the disk than is the hyperbolic center of the circle. * Horocycles are circles within the disk which are
tangent In geometry, the tangent line (or simply tangent) to a plane curve at a given point is, intuitively, the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point. Leibniz defined it as the line through a pair of infinitely close points o ...
to the boundary circle, minus the point of contact. * Hypercycles are open-ended chords and circular arcs within the disc that terminate on the boundary circle at non-orthogonal angles.


The Poincaré half-plane model

The
Poincaré half-plane model In non-Euclidean geometry, the Poincaré half-plane model is a way of representing the hyperbolic plane using points in the familiar Euclidean plane. Specifically, each point in the hyperbolic plane is represented using a Euclidean point with co ...
takes one-half of the Euclidean plane, bounded by a line ''B'' of the plane, to be a model of the hyperbolic plane. The line ''B'' is not included in the model. The Euclidean plane may be taken to be a plane with the
Cartesian coordinate system In geometry, a Cartesian coordinate system (, ) in a plane (geometry), plane is a coordinate system that specifies each point (geometry), point uniquely by a pair of real numbers called ''coordinates'', which are the positive and negative number ...
and the
x-axis In geometry, a Cartesian coordinate system (, ) in a plane is a coordinate system that specifies each point uniquely by a pair of real numbers called ''coordinates'', which are the signed distances to the point from two fixed perpendicular o ...
is taken as line ''B'' and the half plane is the upper half (''y'' > 0 ) of this plane. * Hyperbolic lines are then either half-circles orthogonal to ''B'' or rays perpendicular to ''B''. * The length of an interval on a ray is given by logarithmic measure so it is invariant under a
homothetic transformation In mathematics, a homothety (or homothecy, or homogeneous dilation) is a Transformation (mathematics), transformation of an affine space determined by a point called its ''center'' and a nonzero number called its ''ratio'', which sends point ...
(x, y) \mapsto (\lambda x, \lambda y),\quad \lambda > 0 . * Like the Poincaré disk model, this model preserves angles, and is thus conformal. All isometries within this model are therefore
Möbius transformation In geometry and complex analysis, a Möbius transformation of the complex plane is a rational function of the form f(z) = \frac of one complex number, complex variable ; here the coefficients , , , are complex numbers satisfying . Geometrically ...
s of the plane. * The half-plane model is the limit of the Poincaré disk model whose boundary is tangent to ''B'' at the same point while the radius of the disk model goes to infinity.


The hyperboloid model

The
hyperboloid model In geometry, the hyperboloid model, also known as the Minkowski model after Hermann Minkowski, is a model of ''n''-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which points are represented by points on the forward sheet ''S''+ of a two-sheeted hyperboloi ...
or Lorentz model employs a 2-dimensional
hyperboloid In geometry, a hyperboloid of revolution, sometimes called a circular hyperboloid, is the surface generated by rotating a hyperbola around one of its principal axes. A hyperboloid is the surface obtained from a hyperboloid of revolution by def ...
of revolution (of two sheets, but using one) embedded in 3-dimensional
Minkowski space In physics, Minkowski space (or Minkowski spacetime) () is the main mathematical description of spacetime in the absence of gravitation. It combines inertial space and time manifolds into a four-dimensional model. The model helps show how a ...
. This model is generally credited to Poincaré, but Reynolds says that
Wilhelm Killing Wilhelm Karl Joseph Killing (10 May 1847 – 11 February 1923) was a German mathematician who made important contributions to the theories of Lie algebras, Lie groups, and non-Euclidean geometry. Life Killing studied at the University of M ...
used this model in 1885 * This model has direct application to
special relativity In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory of the relationship between Spacetime, space and time. In Albert Einstein's 1905 paper, Annus Mirabilis papers#Special relativity, "On the Ele ...
, as Minkowski 3-space is a model for
spacetime In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualiz ...
, suppressing one spatial dimension. One can take the hyperboloid to represent the events (positions in spacetime) that various inertially moving observers, starting from a common event, will reach in a fixed
proper time In relativity, proper time (from Latin, meaning ''own time'') along a timelike world line is defined as the time as measured by a clock following that line. The proper time interval between two events on a world line is the change in proper time ...
. * The hyperbolic distance between two points on the hyperboloid can then be identified with the relative
rapidity In special relativity, the classical concept of velocity is converted to rapidity to accommodate the limit determined by the speed of light. Velocities must be combined by Einstein's velocity-addition formula. For low speeds, rapidity and velo ...
between the two corresponding observers. * The model generalizes directly to an additional dimension: a hyperbolic 3-space three-dimensional hyperbolic geometry relates to Minkowski 4-space.


The hemisphere model

The
hemisphere Hemisphere may refer to: In geometry * Hemisphere (geometry), a half of a sphere As half of Earth or any spherical astronomical object * A hemisphere of Earth ** Northern Hemisphere ** Southern Hemisphere ** Eastern Hemisphere ** Western Hemi ...
model is not often used as model by itself, but it functions as a useful tool for visualizing transformations between the other models. The hemisphere model uses the upper half of the
unit sphere In mathematics, a unit sphere is a sphere of unit radius: the locus (mathematics), set of points at Euclidean distance 1 from some center (geometry), center point in three-dimensional space. More generally, the ''unit -sphere'' is an n-sphere, -s ...
: x^2 + y^2 +z^2 = 1 , z > 0. The hyperbolic lines are half-circles orthogonal to the boundary of the hemisphere. The hemisphere model is part of a
Riemann sphere In mathematics, the Riemann sphere, named after Bernhard Riemann, is a Mathematical model, model of the extended complex plane (also called the closed complex plane): the complex plane plus one point at infinity. This extended plane represents ...
, and different projections give different models of the hyperbolic plane: *
Stereographic projection In mathematics, a stereographic projection is a perspective transform, perspective projection of the sphere, through a specific point (geometry), point on the sphere (the ''pole'' or ''center of projection''), onto a plane (geometry), plane (th ...
from (0,0, -1) onto the plane z = 0 projects corresponding points on the
Poincaré disk model In geometry, the Poincaré disk model, also called the conformal disk model, is a model of 2-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which all points are inside the unit disk, and straight lines are either circular arcs contained within the disk t ...
*
Stereographic projection In mathematics, a stereographic projection is a perspective transform, perspective projection of the sphere, through a specific point (geometry), point on the sphere (the ''pole'' or ''center of projection''), onto a plane (geometry), plane (th ...
from (0,0, -1) onto the surface x^2 + y^2 - z^2 = -1 , z > 0 projects corresponding points on the
hyperboloid model In geometry, the hyperboloid model, also known as the Minkowski model after Hermann Minkowski, is a model of ''n''-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which points are represented by points on the forward sheet ''S''+ of a two-sheeted hyperboloi ...
*
Stereographic projection In mathematics, a stereographic projection is a perspective transform, perspective projection of the sphere, through a specific point (geometry), point on the sphere (the ''pole'' or ''center of projection''), onto a plane (geometry), plane (th ...
from (-1,0,0) onto the plane x=1 projects corresponding points on the
Poincaré half-plane model In non-Euclidean geometry, the Poincaré half-plane model is a way of representing the hyperbolic plane using points in the familiar Euclidean plane. Specifically, each point in the hyperbolic plane is represented using a Euclidean point with co ...
*
Orthographic projection Orthographic projection (also orthogonal projection and analemma) is a means of representing Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional objects in Plane (mathematics), two dimensions. Orthographic projection is a form of parallel projection in ...
onto a plane z = C projects corresponding points on the Beltrami–Klein model. *
Central projection In mathematics, a projection is an idempotent mapping of a set (or other mathematical structure) into a subset (or sub-structure). In this case, idempotent means that projecting twice is the same as projecting once. The restriction to a subspa ...
from the centre of the sphere onto the plane z = 1 projects corresponding points on the Gans Model


Connection between the models

All models essentially describe the same structure. The difference between them is that they represent different
coordinate charts In mathematics, particularly topology, an atlas is a concept used to describe a manifold. An atlas consists of individual ''charts'' that, roughly speaking, describe individual regions of the manifold. In general, the notion of atlas underlies th ...
laid down on the same
metric space In mathematics, a metric space is a Set (mathematics), set together with a notion of ''distance'' between its Element (mathematics), elements, usually called point (geometry), points. The distance is measured by a function (mathematics), functi ...
, namely the hyperbolic plane. The characteristic feature of the hyperbolic plane itself is that it has a constant negative
Gaussian curvature In differential geometry, the Gaussian curvature or Gauss curvature of a smooth Surface (topology), surface in three-dimensional space at a point is the product of the principal curvatures, and , at the given point: K = \kappa_1 \kappa_2. For ...
, which is indifferent to the coordinate chart used. The
geodesic In geometry, a geodesic () is a curve representing in some sense the locally shortest path ( arc) between two points in a surface, or more generally in a Riemannian manifold. The term also has meaning in any differentiable manifold with a conn ...
s are similarly invariant: that is, geodesics map to geodesics under coordinate transformation. Hyperbolic geometry is generally introduced in terms of the geodesics and their intersections on the hyperbolic plane. Once we choose a coordinate chart (one of the "models"), we can always embed it in a Euclidean space of same dimension, but the embedding is clearly not isometric (since the curvature of Euclidean space is 0). The hyperbolic space can be represented by infinitely many different charts; but the embeddings in Euclidean space due to these four specific charts show some interesting characteristics. Since the four models describe the same metric space, each can be transformed into the other. See, for example: * the Beltrami–Klein model's relation to the hyperboloid model, * the Beltrami–Klein model's relation to the Poincaré disk model, * and the Poincaré disk model's relation to the hyperboloid model.


Other models of hyperbolic geometry


The Gans model

In 1966 David Gans proposed a flattened hyperboloid model in the journal ''
American Mathematical Monthly ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an exposi ...
''. It is an
orthographic projection Orthographic projection (also orthogonal projection and analemma) is a means of representing Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional objects in Plane (mathematics), two dimensions. Orthographic projection is a form of parallel projection in ...
of the hyperboloid model onto the xy-plane. This model is not as widely used as other models but nevertheless is quite useful in the understanding of hyperbolic geometry. * Unlike the Klein or the Poincaré models, this model utilizes the entire
Euclidean plane In mathematics, a Euclidean plane is a Euclidean space of Two-dimensional space, dimension two, denoted \textbf^2 or \mathbb^2. It is a geometric space in which two real numbers are required to determine the position (geometry), position of eac ...
. * The lines in this model are represented as branches of a
hyperbola In mathematics, a hyperbola is a type of smooth function, smooth plane curve, curve lying in a plane, defined by its geometric properties or by equations for which it is the solution set. A hyperbola has two pieces, called connected component ( ...
.


The conformal square model

The conformal square model of the hyperbolic plane arises from using Schwarz–Christoffel mapping to convert the Poincaré disk into a square. This model has finite extent, like the Poincaré disk. However, all of the points are inside a square. This model is conformal, which makes it suitable for artistic applications.


The band model

The band model employs a portion of the Euclidean plane between two parallel lines. Distance is preserved along one line through the middle of the band. Assuming the band is given by \, the metric is given by , dz, \sec (\operatorname z).


Isometries of the hyperbolic plane

Every
isometry In mathematics, an isometry (or congruence, or congruent transformation) is a distance-preserving transformation between metric spaces, usually assumed to be bijective. The word isometry is derived from the Ancient Greek: ἴσος ''isos'' me ...
( transformation or
motion In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an o ...
) of the hyperbolic plane to itself can be realized as the composition of at most three reflections. In ''n''-dimensional hyperbolic space, up to ''n''+1 reflections might be required. (These are also true for Euclidean and spherical geometries, but the classification below is different.) All isometries of the hyperbolic plane can be classified into these classes: * Orientation preserving ** the identity isometry – nothing moves; zero reflections; zero
degrees of freedom In many scientific fields, the degrees of freedom of a system is the number of parameters of the system that may vary independently. For example, a point in the plane has two degrees of freedom for translation: its two coordinates; a non-infinite ...
. ** inversion through a point (half turn) – two reflections through mutually perpendicular lines passing through the given point, i.e. a rotation of 180 degrees around the point; two
degrees of freedom In many scientific fields, the degrees of freedom of a system is the number of parameters of the system that may vary independently. For example, a point in the plane has two degrees of freedom for translation: its two coordinates; a non-infinite ...
. **
rotation Rotation or rotational/rotary motion is the circular movement of an object around a central line, known as an ''axis of rotation''. A plane figure can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise sense around a perpendicular axis intersect ...
around a normal point – two reflections through lines passing through the given point (includes inversion as a special case); points move on circles around the center; three degrees of freedom. ** "rotation" around an ideal point (horolation) – two reflections through lines leading to the ideal point; points move along horocycles centered on the ideal point; two degrees of freedom. ** translation along a straight line – two reflections through lines perpendicular to the given line; points off the given line move along hypercycles; three degrees of freedom. * Orientation reversing ** reflection through a line – one reflection; two degrees of freedom. ** combined reflection through a line and translation along the same line – the reflection and translation commute; three reflections required; three degrees of freedom.


In art

M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; ; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithography, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were Mathematics and art, inspired by mathematics. Despite wide popular int ...
's famous prints '' Circle Limit III'' and ''Circle Limit IV'' illustrate the conformal disc model (
Poincaré disk model In geometry, the Poincaré disk model, also called the conformal disk model, is a model of 2-dimensional hyperbolic geometry in which all points are inside the unit disk, and straight lines are either circular arcs contained within the disk t ...
) quite well. The white lines in ''III'' are not quite geodesics (they are hypercycles), but are close to them. It is also possible to see the negative
curvature In mathematics, curvature is any of several strongly related concepts in geometry that intuitively measure the amount by which a curve deviates from being a straight line or by which a surface deviates from being a plane. If a curve or su ...
of the hyperbolic plane, through its effect on the sum of angles in triangles and squares. For example, in ''Circle Limit III'' every vertex belongs to three triangles and three squares. In the Euclidean plane, their angles would sum to 450°; i.e., a circle and a quarter. From this, we see that the sum of angles of a triangle in the hyperbolic plane must be smaller than 180°. Another visible property is
exponential growth Exponential growth occurs when a quantity grows as an exponential function of time. The quantity grows at a rate directly proportional to its present size. For example, when it is 3 times as big as it is now, it will be growing 3 times as fast ...
. In ''Circle Limit III'', for example, one can see that the number of fishes within a distance of ''n'' from the center rises exponentially. The fishes have an equal hyperbolic area, so the area of a ball of radius ''n'' must rise exponentially in ''n''. The art of
crochet Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread (yarn), thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', which means 'hook'. Hooks can be made ...
has been used to demonstrate hyperbolic planes (pictured above) with the first being made by Daina Taimiņa, whose book '' Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes'' won the 2009 ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year. '' HyperRogue'' is a
roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a style of role-playing game traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player character. Most ro ...
game set on various tilings of the hyperbolic plane.


Higher dimensions

Hyperbolic geometry is not limited to 2 dimensions; a hyperbolic geometry exists for every higher number of dimensions.


Homogeneous structure

Hyperbolic space In mathematics, hyperbolic space of dimension ''n'' is the unique simply connected, ''n''-dimensional Riemannian manifold of constant sectional curvature equal to −1. It is homogeneous, and satisfies the stronger property of being a symme ...
of dimension ''n'' is a special case of a Riemannian
symmetric space In mathematics, a symmetric space is a Riemannian manifold (or more generally, a pseudo-Riemannian manifold) whose group of isometries contains an inversion symmetry about every point. This can be studied with the tools of Riemannian geome ...
of noncompact type, as it is
isomorphic In mathematics, an isomorphism is a structure-preserving mapping or morphism between two structures of the same type that can be reversed by an inverse mapping. Two mathematical structures are isomorphic if an isomorphism exists between the ...
to the quotient :: \mathrm(1,n)/(\mathrm(1) \times \mathrm(n)). The
orthogonal group In mathematics, the orthogonal group in dimension , denoted , is the Group (mathematics), group of isometry, distance-preserving transformations of a Euclidean space of dimension that preserve a fixed point, where the group operation is given by ...
acts by norm-preserving transformations on
Minkowski space In physics, Minkowski space (or Minkowski spacetime) () is the main mathematical description of spacetime in the absence of gravitation. It combines inertial space and time manifolds into a four-dimensional model. The model helps show how a ...
R1,''n'', and it acts transitively on the two-sheet hyperboloid of norm 1 vectors. Timelike lines (i.e., those with positive-norm tangents) through the origin pass through antipodal points in the hyperboloid, so the space of such lines yields a model of hyperbolic ''n''-space. The stabilizer of any particular line is isomorphic to the product of the orthogonal groups O(''n'') and O(1), where O(''n'') acts on the tangent space of a point in the hyperboloid, and O(1) reflects the line through the origin. Many of the elementary concepts in hyperbolic geometry can be described in
linear algebra Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as :a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b, linear maps such as :(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n, and their representations in vector spaces and through matrix (mathemat ...
ic terms: geodesic paths are described by intersections with planes through the origin, dihedral angles between hyperplanes can be described by inner products of normal vectors, and hyperbolic reflection groups can be given explicit matrix realizations. In small dimensions, there are exceptional isomorphisms of
Lie group In mathematics, a Lie group (pronounced ) is a group (mathematics), group that is also a differentiable manifold, such that group multiplication and taking inverses are both differentiable. A manifold is a space that locally resembles Eucli ...
s that yield additional ways to consider symmetries of hyperbolic spaces. For example, in dimension 2, the isomorphisms allow one to interpret the upper half plane model as the quotient and the Poincaré disc model as the quotient . In both cases, the symmetry groups act by fractional linear transformations, since both groups are the orientation-preserving stabilizers in of the respective subspaces of the Riemann sphere. The Cayley transformation not only takes one model of the hyperbolic plane to the other, but realizes the isomorphism of symmetry groups as conjugation in a larger group. In dimension 3, the fractional linear action of on the Riemann sphere is identified with the action on the conformal boundary of hyperbolic 3-space induced by the isomorphism . This allows one to study isometries of hyperbolic 3-space by considering spectral properties of representative complex matrices. For example, parabolic transformations are conjugate to rigid translations in the upper half-space model, and they are exactly those transformations that can be represented by
unipotent In mathematics, a unipotent element ''r'' of a ring ''R'' is one such that ''r'' − 1 is a nilpotent element; in other words, (''r'' − 1)''n'' is zero for some ''n''. In particular, a square matrix ''M'' is a unipote ...
upper triangular In mathematics, a triangular matrix is a special kind of square matrix. A square matrix is called if all the entries ''above'' the main diagonal are zero. Similarly, a square matrix is called if all the entries ''below'' the main diagonal are z ...
matrices.


See also

* Band model * Constructions in hyperbolic geometry *
Hjelmslev transformation In mathematics, the Hjelmslev transformation is an effective method for Map (mathematics), mapping an entire Hyperbolic space, hyperbolic plane into a circle with a finite radius. The transformation was invented by Danish mathematician Johannes Hj ...
*
Hyperbolic 3-manifold In mathematics, more precisely in topology and differential geometry, a hyperbolic 3-manifold is a manifold of dimension 3 equipped with a hyperbolic metric, that is a Riemannian metric which has all its sectional curvatures equal to −1. It ...
* Hyperbolic manifold *
Hyperbolic set In dynamical systems theory, a subset Λ of a smooth manifold ''M'' is said to have a hyperbolic structure with respect to a smooth map ''f'' if its tangent bundle may be split into two invariant subbundles, one of which is contracting and th ...
* Hyperbolic tree *
Kleinian group In mathematics, a Kleinian group is a discrete subgroup of the group (mathematics), group of orientation-preserving Isometry, isometries of hyperbolic 3-space . The latter, identifiable with PSL(2,C), , is the quotient group of the 2 by 2 complex ...
*
Lambert quadrilateral In geometry, a Lambert quadrilateral (also known as Ibn al-Haytham–Lambert quadrilateral), is a quadrilateral in which three of its angles are right angles. Historically, the fourth angle of a Lambert quadrilateral was of considerable interest s ...
* Open universe *
Poincaré metric In mathematics, the Poincaré metric, named after Henri Poincaré, is the metric tensor describing a two-dimensional surface of constant negative curvature. It is the natural metric commonly used in a variety of calculations in hyperbolic geometry ...
*
Saccheri quadrilateral A Saccheri quadrilateral is a quadrilateral with two equal sides perpendicular to the base. It is named after Giovanni Gerolamo Saccheri, who used it extensively in his 1733 book (''Euclid freed of every flaw''), an attempt to prove the parall ...
*
Systolic geometry In mathematics, systolic geometry is the study of systolic invariants of manifolds and polyhedra, as initially conceived by Charles Loewner and developed by Mikhail Gromov, Michael Freedman, Peter Sarnak, Mikhail Katz, Larry Guth, and ...
* Uniform tilings in hyperbolic plane * δ-hyperbolic space


Notes


Bibliography

* A'Campo, Norbert and Papadopoulos, Athanase, (2012) ''Notes on hyperbolic geometry'', in: Strasbourg Master class on Geometry, pp. 1–182, IRMA Lectures in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Vol. 18, Zürich: European Mathematical Society (EMS), 461 pages, SBN , DOI 10.4171–105. * Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, Coxeter, H. S. M., (1942) ''Non-Euclidean geometry'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto * * * Lobachevsky, Nikolai I., (2010) ''Pangeometry'', Edited and translated by Athanase Papadopoulos, Heritage of European Mathematics, Vol. 4. Zürich: European Mathematical Society (EMS). xii, 310~p, /hbk * John Milnor, Milnor, John W., (1982)
Hyperbolic geometry: The first 150 years
', Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. (N.S.) Volume 6, Number 1, pp. 9–24. * Reynolds, William F., (1993) ''Hyperbolic Geometry on a Hyperboloid'',
American Mathematical Monthly ''The American Mathematical Monthly'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of mathematics. It was established by Benjamin Finkel in 1894 and is published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It is an exposi ...
100:442–455. * * Samuels, David, (March 2006) ''Knit Theory'' Discover Magazine, volume 27, Number 3. * James W. Anderson, ''Hyperbolic Geometry'', Springer 2005, * James W. Cannon, William J. Floyd, Richard Kenyon, and Walter R. Parry (1997)
Hyperbolic Geometry
', MSRI Publications, volume 31.


External links



University of New Mexico *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B16YjC9OS0k&mode=user&search= "The Hyperbolic Geometry Song"] A short music video about the basics of Hyperbolic Geometry available at YouTube. * * *
More on hyperbolic geometry, including movies and equations for conversion between the different models
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Hyperbolic Voronoi diagrams made easy, Frank Nielsen
*, interactive instructional website.
Hyperbolic Planar TesselationsModels of the Hyperbolic Plane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyperbolic Geometry Hyperbolic geometry,