Plane Geometry (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Plane Geometry

Although the study of geometry is important from an informational point of view, it is generally recognized that a genuine mastery of the subject means real achievement in the solution of original exercises. The chief aim of the authors in preparing this text has been to give such assistance to students as will stimulate insight and develop power to solve exercises of gradually increasing difficulty.

The content and organization of the first book of geometry are determining factors in the student's progress in the sub ject. The first ten or twenty theorems determine whether a student will grasp quickly the general trend of the subject or remain bewildered for an indefinite period. The simplicity and directness of the early theorems and the order in which they are presented are elements of the highest importance in an effective introduction. These elements were given the most careful consideration in the preparation of this text. If the first theorem is used in proving the second and the sec ond in proving the third, and so on, the student will soon see a reason for mastering the content of each theorem. But if the initial theorem is used for the first time in the fifteenth theorem, and the second is used next in the eighth, the first month's work will give the impression: that geometry deals with unrelated facts which lead nowhere. Such an arrange ment of the theorems of geometry will hamper even the strongest students, and will make progress almost impossible for the less capable.

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