Transformational Plane Geometry

Ronald N. Umble
Department of Mathematics
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville, PA, 17551 USA

Spring 2006
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Contents

1 Isometries 1
1.1 Transformations of the Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Translations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.4 Glide Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1.5 Halfturns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.6 Properties of Translations and Halfturns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
1.7 General Rotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

2 Congruence 39
2.1 The Three Points Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.2 Translations as Products of Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.3 Rotations as Products of reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.4 The Fundamental Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

3 Classification of Isometries 59
3.1 The Angle Addition Theorem, part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
3.2 Parity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
3.3 The Geometry of Conjugation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
3.4 The Angle Addition Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
3.5 The Classification Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

4 Symmetry 85
4.1 Groups of Isometries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4.2 Groups of Symmetries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4.3 The Rosette Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.4 The Frieze Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.5 The Wallpaper Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

5 Similarity 113
5.1 Similarities and Dilatations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
5.2 Similarities as an Isometry and a Stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
5.3 The Classification of Similarities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

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Introduction

Euclidean plane geometry is the study of size and shape of objects in the plane.
It is one of the oldest branches of mathematics. Indeed, by 300 BC Euclid had
deductively derived the theorems of plane geometry from his five postulates.
More than 2000 years later in 1628, Rene’ Descartes introduced coordinates
and revolutionized the discipline by using analytical tools to attack geometrical
problems. To quote Descartes, “Any problem in geometry can easily be reduced
to such terms that a knowledge of the lengths of certain lines is sufficient for its
construction.”
About 250 years later, in 1872, Felix Klein capitalized on Descartes’ ana-
lytical approach and inaugurated his so called Erlangen Program, which views
plane geometry as the study of those properties of plane figures that remain
unchanged under some set of transformations. Klein’s startling observation
that plane geometry can be completely understood from this point of view is
the guiding principle of this course and provides an alternative to Eucild’s ax-
iomatic/synthetic approach. In this course, we shall consider two such families of
transformations: (1) the isometries (distance-preserving transformations), which
include the translations, rotations, reflections and glide reflections and (2) the
plane similarities, which include the isometries, stretches, stretch rotations and
stretch reflections. Our goal is to understand congruence or similarity of plane
figures in terms of some transformation in one of these two families.
Finally, a word about methodology before we begin. Geometry is a visual
science, i.e., each concept should be contemplated in terms of a picture (of-
ten mental). Consequently, there will be ample opportunity throughout this
course for the student to create and (quite literally) manipulate pictures that
express the geometrical content of the concepts. This happens in two settings:
(1) Daily homework assignments include several problems from the ancillary
text Geometry: Constructions and Transformations, by Dayoub and Lott (Dale
Seymour Publications, 1977 ISBN 0-86651-499-6); each construction requires
a reflecting instrument such as a MIRA. (2) Biweekly laboratory assignments
use the software package Geometer’s Sketchpad lead the student through ex-
ploratory activities that reinforce the geometric principles presented in this
text. Several of these assignments have been selected from the ancillary text
Rethinking Proof with Geometer’s Sketchpad by Michael de Villiers (Key Cur-
riculum Press, 1999 ISBN 1-55953-323-4). This text complements the visual-
ization skills gained using the MIRA and Geometer’s Sketchpad by presenting

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each concept both synthetically (coordinate free) and analytically. Exercises

throughout the text accommodate both points of view. The power of abstract
algebra is introduced gently and slowly; prior knowledge of abstract algebra is
not assumed.

April 28, 2004