Do you see Geometry?

Why are we interested in Geometry, why does it even matter? What is Geometry even? These are some basic questions we will be looking over in this post... to help us better understand not only geometry- but also they way we comprehend information. First off... what is geometry? Well, Merriam Webster gives us the following definition:

Main Entry: ge·om·e·try
Pronunciation: j-äm--tr
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -tries
1 : a branch of mathematics that deals with points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids
2 : ²SHAPE <the geometry of a crystal>
 ("Definition of - Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary." Merriam-Webster's Word Central. Web. 05 July 2011. <http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student>.)

I've found geometry to be more than just this simple explanation that talks about lines, angles, surfaces, etc. Geometry connects us to our world. You might say, what does she mean by that? Well, that brings us to our next couple of questions... but first- lets study a picture I took out at the beach yesterday...

The picture may be familiar to many of you... but if you study it closely you can start seeing how shapes form in our minds to create balance and movement when we look at things. Our brains are so well trained to see shapes and put them together... making them blend harmoniously. People have studied geometry for thousands of years... it is a subject that connects us through time as well. Imagine what life would be like without shapes, without repetitions and patterns, without measurements? How would a person be able to tell which room was the biggest in a house? What if we couldn't measure area? How would we ever figure out how much carpeting or tile to put on the floor... how much gallons it would take to paint walls? These are everyday functions we fulfill fairly fluidly for those of us who remember geometry.

Take a look at the above picture again, and see if you can find shapes that form in the image. What shapes have you found? Do you see lines... how about points that might intersect? Below is the same picture... but with the shapes and lines that I saw right away. It took me seconds to see the geometry in this image... but without actually thinking about it and tracing the shapes- I wouldn't have realized there were triangles, circles, a quadrilateral, or even (eventually) intersecting line segments. By taking a closer look I realize how my mind blends all of these things together in a way that makes the image flow and balance.

Granted, there are many scientific and mathematical necessities to geometry... but by taking a quick look at geometry in our everyday lives- we gain greater appreciation for not only what has been taught to us in our past, but the way our brains function... we start to see triangles and guess what degree of angle makes them up. We see lines and wonder how long it will take before they intersect, or we see shapes and wonder how big the area is within them- or how many gallons it would take to fill them. These thoughts connect us with mathematician throughout history... and with our world around us.

I will end this post with a beautiful quote I found quite fitting:


Galileo Galilei. 1564-1642. Italian astronomer, mathematician, and physicist.

The universe cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word.

Opere Il Saggiatore