Euclid's Elements, Introduction (original) (raw)

Euclid’s Elements form one of the most beautiful and influential works of science in the history of humankind. Its beauty lies in its logical development of geometry and other branches of mathematics. It has influenced all branches of science but none so much as mathematics and the exact sciences. The Elements have been studied 24 centuries in many languages starting, of course, in the original Greek, then in Arabic, Latin, and many modern languages.

I'm creating this version of Euclid’s Elements for a couple of reasons. The main one is to rekindle an interest in the Elements, and the web is a great way to do that. Another reason is to show how Java applets can be used to illustrate geometry. That also helps to bring the_Elements_ alive.

The text of all 13 Books is complete, and all of the figures are illustrated using the Geometry Applet, even those in the last three books on solid geometry that are three-dimensional. I still have a lot to write in the guide sections and that will keep me busy for quite a while.

This edition of Euclid’s Elements uses a Java applet called the Geometry Applet to illustrate the diagrams. If you enable Java on your browser, then you’ll be able to dynamically change the diagrams. In order to see how, please read Using the Geometry Applet before moving on to the Table of Contents.