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Axiomatic System

This document discusses axiomatic systems in geometry. It defines an axiom as a basic statement assumed to be true without proof. An axiomatic system is a collection of axioms used to build proofs and theorems. The document outlines Euclid's five axioms of geometry and explains that for an axiomatic system to be valid, it must demonstrate consistency, independence, and completeness. However, some argue Euclid's fifth axiom is not independent of the others and its inclusion is what prevents geometry from being a complete axiomatic system.

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Rovelyn Piamonte
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20K views7 pages

Axiomatic System

This document discusses axiomatic systems in geometry. It defines an axiom as a basic statement assumed to be true without proof. An axiomatic system is a collection of axioms used to build proofs and theorems. The document outlines Euclid's five axioms of geometry and explains that for an axiomatic system to be valid, it must demonstrate consistency, independence, and completeness. However, some argue Euclid's fifth axiom is not independent of the others and its inclusion is what prevents geometry from being a complete axiomatic system.

Uploaded by

Rovelyn Piamonte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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After working your way through this lesson and video, you will be able to:

 Identify and define an axiom


 Explain the parts of the axiomatic system in geometry
 Cite the aspects of the axiomatic system -- consistency, independence, and
completeness -- that shape it
 Cite examples of axioms from Euclidean geometry

What is an Axiom?
An axiom is a basic statement assumed to be true and requiring no
proof of its truthfulness. It is a fundamental underpinning for a set of
logical statements. Not everything counts as an axiom. It must be
simple, make a useful statement about an undefined term, evidently
true with a minimum of thought, and contribute to an axiomatic system
(not be a random construct).

The Axiomatic System


An axiomatic system is a collection of axioms, or statements about
undefined terms. You can build proofs and theorems from axioms.
Logical arguments are built from with axioms.

You can create your own artificial axiomatic system, such as this one:

1. Every robot has at least two paths


2. Every path has at least two robots
3. A minimum of one robot exists
This might describe a routine for a computer to control activity in a
warehouse, but it is also a set of axioms. We have two undefined
terms, "robot" and "path." We have not defined "robot" or "path," but
we can build on those undefined terms to construct various proofs.
Let's prove a path exists:

1. By the third axiom, a robot exists.


2. By the first axiom, the existing robot must have at least one path.
3. Therefore, at least one path for a robot exists.

Such an axiomatic system is limited, but it would be enough to build a


network of robots to work in a warehouse. Euclid, the ancient Greek
mathematician, created an axiomatic system with five axioms. From
that basic foundation we derive most of our geometry (and all
Euclidean geometry).

Euclid's Five Axioms


Euclid (his name means "renowned," or "glorious") was
born circa (around) 325 BCE and died 265 BCE. He is the Father of
Geometry for formulating these five axioms that, together, form an
axiomatic system of geometry:

1. A straight line may be drawn between any two points.


2. Any terminated straight line may be extended indefinitely.
3. A circle may be drawn with any given point as center and any given
radius.
4. All right angles are equal.
5. If two straight lines in a plane are met by another line, and if the sum
of the internal angles on one side is less than two right angles, then
the straight lines will meet if extended sufficiently on the side on which
the sum of the angles is less than two right angles.

Mathematicians have, for centuries, accepted the first four axioms and
built great achievements on them. The fifth axiom has provoked a lot
of controversy over those same centuries. A different translation or
wording produced this alternative:

 5'. For any given point not on a given line, there is exactly one
line through the point that does not meet the given line.

That is the "parallel postulate," but it is also a recasting of the fifth


axiom. The reason for the controversy about the fifth axiom is that
axiomatic systems usually fulfill three conditions, or have three
properties.

Three Properties of Axiomatic


Systems
For an axiomatic system to be valid, from our robot paths to Euclid,
the system must have only one property: consistency.
An axiomatic system is stronger for also
having independence and completeness. Let's look at each quality
in turn.

Consistency
An axiomatic system is consistent if the axioms cannot be used to
prove a particular proposition and its opposite, or negation. It cannot
contradict itself. In our simple example, the three axioms could not be
used to prove that some paths have no robots while also proving that
all paths have some robots.

Independence
An axiomatic system must have consistency (an internal logic that is
not self-contradictory). It is better if it also has independence, in which
axioms are independent of each other; you cannot get one axiom from
another. All axioms are fundamental truths that do not rely on each
other for their existence. They may refer to undefined terms, but they
do not stem one from the other.

Completeness
The third important quality, but not a requirement of an axiomatic
system, is completeness. Whatever we attempt to test with the system
will either be proven or its negative will be proven. Mathematicians
have argued for centuries that Euclid's fifth axiom is really a theorem,
but others counter that the other four axioms cannot be used to prove
it. Without the fifth axiom, Euclid's axiomatic system lacks
completeness.
GEOMETRIC SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

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