Foundations of Geometry

David Hilbert (1862 - 1943)
Translated by Edgar Jerome Townsend (1864 - 1955)

The German mathematician David Hilbert was one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th/early 20th century. Hilbert's 20 axioms were first proposed by him in 1899 in his book Grundlagen der Geometrie as the foundation for a modern treatment of Euclidean geometry.

Hilbert's axiom system is constructed with six primitive notions: the three primitive terms point, line, and plane, and the three primitive relations Betweenness (a ternary relation linking points), Lies on (or Containment, three binary relations between the primitive terms), and Congruence (two binary relations, one linking line segments and one linking angles).

The original monograph in German was based on Hilbert's own lectures and was organized by himself for a memorial address given in 1899. This was quickly followed by a French translation with changes made by Hilbert; an authorized English translation was made by E.J. Townsend in 1902. This translation - from which this audiobook has been read - already incorporated the changes made in the French translation and so is considered to be a translation of the 2nd edition.

Genre(s): Mathematics

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Preface, Contents, and Introduction Jim Wrenholt
00:11:44
Play 01 The elements of geometry and the five groups of axioms Jim Wrenholt
00:02:30
Play 02 Group I: Axioms of connection Jim Wrenholt
00:03:55
Play 03 Group II: Axioms of Order Jim Wrenholt
00:03:23
Play 04 Consequences of the axioms of connection and order Jim Wrenholt
00:07:00
Play 05 Group III: Axioms of Parallels (Euclid's axiom) Jim Wrenholt
00:02:33
Play 06 Group IV: Axioms of congruence Jim Wrenholt
00:08:38
Play 07 Consequences of the axioms of congruence Jim Wrenholt
00:20:38
Play 08 Group V: Axiom of Continuity (Archimedes's axiom) Jim Wrenholt
00:04:20
Play 09 Compatibility of the axioms Jim Wrenholt
00:06:36
Play 10 Independence of the axioms of parallels. Non-euclidean geometry Jim Wrenholt
00:04:59
Play 11 Independence of the axioms of congruence Jim Wrenholt
00:06:25
Play 12 Independence of the axiom of continuity. Non-archimedean geometry Jim Wrenholt
00:06:24
Play 13 Complex number-systems Jim Wrenholt
00:06:33
Play 14 Demonstrations of Pascal's theorem Jim Wrenholt
00:14:50
Play 15 An algebra of segments, based upon Pascal's theorem Jim Wrenholt
00:07:02
Play 16 Proportion and the theorems of similitude Jim Wrenholt
00:05:59
Play 17 Equations of straight lines and of planes Jim Wrenholt
00:07:49
Play 18 Equal area and equal content of polygons Jim Wrenholt
00:05:34
Play 19 Parallelograms and triangles having equal bases and equal altitudes Jim Wrenholt
00:05:52
Play 20 The measure of area of triangles and polygons Jim Wrenholt
00:10:05
Play 21 Equality of content and the measure of area Jim Wrenholt
00:08:01
Play 22 Desargues's theorem and its demonstration for plane geometry by aid of the axiom of congruence Jim Wrenholt
00:06:25
Play 23 The impossibility of demonstrating Desargues's theorem for the plane with the help of the axioms of congruence Jim Wrenholt
00:10:15
Play 24 Introduction to the algebra of segments based upon the Desargues's theorme Jim Wrenholt
00:04:58
Play 25 The commutative and associative law of addition for our new algebra of segments Jim Wrenholt
00:04:16
Play 26 The associative law of multiplication and the two distributive laws for the new algebra of segments Jim Wrenholt
00:12:16
Play 27 Equation of straight line, based upon the new algebra of segments Jim Wrenholt
00:08:17
Play 28 The totality of segments, regarded as a complex number system Jim Wrenholt
00:03:45
Play 29 Construction of a geometry of space by aid of a desarguesian number system Jim Wrenholt
00:09:05
Play 30 Significance of Desargues's theorem Jim Wrenholt
00:03:18
Play 31 Two theorems concerning the possibility of proving Pascal's theorem Jim Wrenholt
00:03:13
Play 32 The commutative law of multiplication for an archimedean number system Jim Wrenholt
00:05:23
Play 33 The commutative law of multiplication for a non-archimedean number system Jim Wrenholt
00:09:46
Play 34 Proof of the two propositions concerning Pascal's theorem. Non-pascalian geometry Jim Wrenholt
00:03:33
Play 35 The demonstation, by means of the theorems of Pascal and Desargues Jim Wrenholt
00:05:29
Play 36 Analytic representation of the co-ordinates of points which can be so constructed Jim Wrenholt
00:07:34
Play 37 Geometrical constructions by means of a straight-edge and a transferer of segments Jim Wrenholt
00:06:51
Play 38 The representation of algebraic numbers and of integral rational functions as sums of squares Jim Wrenholt
00:12:44
Play 39 Criterion for the possibility of a geometrical construction by means of a straight-edge and a transferer of segments Jim Wrenholt
00:12:02
Play 40 Conclusion Jim Wrenholt
00:14:09
Play 41 Appendix Jim Wrenholt
00:22:31