Chapter 5: Introduction to Euclid’s Geometry

Exercise: 5.1 (Page 85 of Grade 9 NCERT Textbook)

Q1. Which of the following statements are true and which are false?
Give reasons for your answers.
(i) Only one line can pass through a single point.
(ii) There are an infinite number of lines which pass through two distinct
points.
(iii) A terminated line can be produced indefinitely on both the sides.
(iv) If two circles are equal, then their radii are equal.
(v) In fig 5.9 if AB = PQ and PQ = XY, then AB = XY.

Difficulty Level: Easy

(i)
Reasoning:
We can draw infinite number of lines through a given point.

Solution:
False
Related problems:
1. What are concurrent lines?
2. How many chords can be drawn though center of the circle?

(ii)
Reasoning:
According to Axiom 5.1: Given any two distinct points, there is a unique line that
passes through them.

Solution:
False
We can draw only one line passing through two points.

(iii)
Reasoning:
According to Postulate 2: A terminated line can be produced indefinitely.

Solution:
True
We know that a straight line can be produced on both sides.

(iv)
Reasoning:
According to Postulate 3: A circle can be drawn with any center and any radius.

Solution:
True
We know that circles are equal, means the circles are congruent. (Circles coinciding
with each other). This means that circumferences are equal and so the radii of two
circles are equal.

(v)
Reasoning:
Line segments whose corresponding lengths are equal are equal to one another.
Solution:
True

By transitivity law, we know that, if a = b and b = c then a = c.

Here since AB = PQ and PQ = XY then AB = XY according to this law.

Let us consider AB = 5cm, then PQ will be 5cm.

But PQ = XY so, XY will also be 5cm. AB = PQ = XY which also implies AB = XY.

Q2. Give a definition for each of the following terms. Are there other terms that
need to be defined first? What are they, and how might you define them?
(i) Parallel lines (ii) Perpendicular lines (iii) Line Segment
(iv) Radius of a circle (v) Square

Difficulty Level: Easy

Solution:
We have to define ‘Ray’, ‘Straight line’ and a ‘point’.

Ray: A part of a line, which starts at a point (Here A) and goes off in a particular
direction to infinity possibly through a second point (B in this case).

Straight Line: The basic concept about a line is that it should be straight, and it can be
extended infinitely in both the directions.

Point: A small dot made by a sharp pencil on a sheet paper gives an idea about a point.
A point has no dimension, it has only a position.

Perpendicular Distance: Shortest distance between a point and a line.

1. Parallel lines:

• If the perpendicular distance between two lines is always constant, then these are
called parallel lines.
• If the lengths of the common perpendiculars at different points on the lines are
same, then these lines are called parallel lines.
• In other words, the lines which never intersect each other are called parallel
lines.
 PQ || RS

2. Perpendicular lines: If the angle between two lines is equal to 900 , then these lines
are perpendicular to each other.

CD ⊥ AB
AB ⊥ CD

3. Line segment: A terminated line is called line segment. It has two end points [A and
B in this case.].

4. Radius of a circle: The distance from the center to any point on the circle is called
radius of the circle.
5. Square: A square is a regular quadrilateral which means that it has four equal sides
and four right angles.

Q3. Consider two ‘postulates’ given below:

(i) Given any two distinct points A and B there exists a third point C
which is in between A and B.
(ii) There exist at least three points that are not on the same line.

Do these postulates contain any undefined terms? Are these postulates

consistent? Do they follow from Euclid’s postulates? Explain.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reasoning:
Euclid’s axioms.

Solution:
Yes, these postulates contain undefined terms.
These two statements are consistent as they talk about two different situations.

These statements do not follow Euclid’s postulates but one of the axioms about “Given
any two points, a unique line that passes through them” is followed.

Q4. If a point C lies between two points A and B such that AC = BC, then prove
that AC = 1 AB. Explain by drawing the figure.
2

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reasoning:
We know that when equals are added to equals, the wholes are equal.

Solution:
AC = BC
Adding AC on both sides, we get
AC + AC = BC + AC ( BC + AC coincides with AB)
2 AC = AB
1
AC = AB
2

Q5. In a Q4, point C is called a mid-point of line segment AB. Prove that every
line segment has one and only one mid-point.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reasoning:
We are aware that the things which coincide with one another are equal to one another.

Solution:
Let us consider that line segment AB has two mid points ‘C’ and ‘D’.

Let assume C is mid-point of AB

AC = BC

Adding AC on both sides, we get

AC + AC = BC + AC
2 AC = AB
1
AC = AB (1)
2

Let us consider a point D lying on AB,

Let assume that D be another mid- point of AB.

Therefore AD = BD
Adding equal length AD on both the sides, we get
AD + AD = BD + AD
2 AD = AB
1
AD = AB ( 2)
2

From equations (1) and (2), we can conclude that AC = AD

• C Coincides with D.
• Axiom 4: Things which coincide with one another are equal to one
another.
• A line segment has only one midpoint.
Q6. In the given figure, if AC = BD then prove that AB = CD.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Reasoning:
We know that when equals are subtracted from equals, the remainders are equal.

Solution:
AC = BD
AB + BC = BC + CD

[Point B lies between A and C; Point C lies between B and D.]

AB + BC − BC = BC + CD − BC
AB = CD

Q7. Why is Axiom 5, in the list of Euclid’s axioms, considered a ‘universal

truth’? (Note that the question is not about the fifth postulate.)

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reasoning:
Axiom 5 – “The whole is greater than the part.”

Solution:
This axiom is known as a universal truth because it holds true in any field of
mathematics and in other disciplinarians of science as well.

i. Let us consider a line segment AB. Mark two points P and Q on it.

AB is a whole part.
It is divided into three parts: AP, PQ, QB.
AB = AP + PQ + QB
AB  AP
AB  PQ
AB  QB

ii. Bangalore is a part of Karnataka which means that Karnataka is larger than
Bangalore. i.e. Karnataka > Bangalore.
Therefore, it is true that the whole is greater than the part is considered as universal
truth.
Chapter 5: Introduction to Euclid’s Geometry
Exercise 5.2 (Page 88 of Grade 9 NCERT Textbook)

Q1. How would you rewrite Euclid’s fifth postulate so that it would be easier to
understand?

Difficulty Level: Medium

Solution:
For every line ‘l’ and for every point ‘P’ not lying on ‘l’, there exist a unique line ‘m’
passing through ‘P’ and parallel to ‘l’.

This is called as ‘Playfair’s Axiom’

• ‘l’ is a line and ‘p’ is a point not lying on ’l’.

• We can draw infinite lines through ‘p’ but there is only one line unique which is
parallel to ‘l’ and passes through ‘p’.
• Take any point on ‘l’ and draw to ‘m’. Measure these distances.
• We know that it is same everywhere, so these lines ‘l’ and ‘m’ do not meet
anywhere.

Q2. Does Euclid fifth postulate imply the existence of parallel lines? Explain.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Reasoning:
Postulate 5: If a straight line falling on two straight lines makes the interior angles on
the same side of it taken together less than two right angles, then the two straight lines,
if produced indefinitely, meet on that side on which the sum of angles is less than two
right angles.

Solution: Yes
If ‘a’ & ‘b’ two straight lines which are intersected by another line ‘c’, and the sum of
co-interior angles are equal to 1800 , then a || b.
According to Euclid’s 5th postulate,

1 + 2  180 then 3 + 4  180

[The interior angles on the same side of two straight lines which are intersected by
another line taken together are less than two right angles]

Producing the line ‘a’ and ‘b’ further will meet in the side of which is less than 1800 .

If 1 + 2 = 180 then 3 + 4 = 180

The lines ‘a’ and ‘b’ do not meet in the side where the angle is lesser than 1800
so they never intersect each other. Hence the two lines are said to be parallel to each
other i.e. a || b