Geometry is a subject full of mathematical richness and beauty. The ancient Greeks were into it big time, and it’s been a mainstay in secondary education for centuries. Today, no education is complete without at least some familiarity with the fundamental principles of geometry.
But geometry is also a subject that bewilders many students because it’s so unlike the math that they’ve done before. Geometry requires you to use deductive logic in formal proofs. This process involves a special type of verbal and mathematical reasoning that’s new to many students. The subject also involves working with two- and three-dimensional shapes. The spatial reasoning required for this is another thing that makes geometry different and challenging.
Geometry Essentials For Dummies can be a big help to you if you’ve hit the geometry wall. Or if you’re a first-time student of geometry, it can prevent you from hitting the wall in the first place. When the world of geometry opens up to you and things start to click, you may come to really appreciate this topic, which has fascinated people for millennia.
Geometry Essentials For Dummies covers all the principles and formulas you need to analyze two- and three-dimensional shapes, and it gives you the skills and strategies you need to write geometry proofs.
My approach throughout is to explain geometry in plain English with a minimum of technical jargon. Plain English suffices for geometry because its principles, for the most part, are accessible with your common sense. I see no reason to obscure geometry concepts behind a lot of fancy-pants mathematical mumbo-jumbo. I prefer a street-smart approach.
This book, like all For Dummies books, is a reference, not a tutorial. The basic idea is that the chapters stand on their own as much as possible. So you don’t have to read this book cover to cover — although, of course, you might want to.
Geometry Essentials For Dummies follows certain conventions that keep the text consistent:
As I wrote this book, here’s what I assumed about you:
If you’re a geometry beginner, you should probably start with Chapter 1 and work your way through the book in order, but if you already know a fair amount of the subject, feel free to skip around. For instance, if you need to know about quadrilaterals, check out Chapter 6. Or if you already have a good handle on geometry proof basics, you may want to dive into the more advanced proofs in Chapter 5.
And from there, naturally, you can go
If you’re still reading this, what are you waiting for? Go take your first steps into the wonderful world of geometry!
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