Hyperbolic Geometry

Hyperbolic Lines and Segments

• Poincaré disk model
 Line = circular arc, meets fundamental circle
orthogonally

• Note:
 Lines closer to
center of fundamental
circle are closer to
Euclidian lines
 Why?
 Poincaré Disk Model
• Model of geometric world
 Different set of rules apply
• Rules
 Points are interior to fundamental circle
 Lines are circular arcs orthogonal to
fundamental circle
 Points where line meets fundamental circle
are ideal points -- this set called 
• Can be thought of as “infinity” in this context
 Poincaré Disk Model
Euclid’s first four postulates hold
1.Given two distinct points, A and B,  a
unique line passing through them
2.Any line segment can be extended
indefinitely
 A segment has end points (closed)
3.Given two distinct points, A and B, a circle
with radius AB can be drawn
4.Any two right angles are congruent
 Hyperbolic Triangles
• Recall Activity 2 – so … how do you find 
measure?

• We find sum of angles might not be 180

 Hyperbolic Triangles
• Lines that do not intersect are parallel lines

• What if a triangle could have 3 vertices on

the fundamental circle?
 Hyperbolic Triangles
• Note the angle measurements

• What can you conclude

when an angle is 0 ?
 Hyperbolic Triangles
• Generally the sum of the angles of a
hyperbolic triangle is less than 180
• The difference between the calculated
sum and 180 is called the defect of the
triangle

• Calculate
the defect
 Hyperbolic Polygons
• What does the hyperbolic plane do to the
sum of the
measures
of angles
of polygons?
 Hyperbolic Circles
• A circle is the locus of points equidistant
from a fixed point, the center

What
seems
“wrong”
with these
results?

• Recall Activity 9.5

 Hyperbolic Circles
• What happens
when the center
or a point on the
circle approaches
“infinity”?
• If center could be
on fundamental
circle
 “Infinite” radius
 Called a horocycle
Distance on Poincarè Disk Model
• Rule for measuring distance  metric
• Euclidian distance
d  A, B    a1  b1    a2  b2 
2 2

Metric Axioms
1.d(A, B) = 0  A = B
2.d(A, B) = d(B, A)
3.Given A, B, C points,
d(A, B) + d(B, C)  d(A, C)
Distance on Poincarè Disk Model
AM / AN AM  BN
• Formula for d ( A, B)  ln  ln
BM / BN AN  BM
distance
M

 Where AM, AN, BN, BM are Euclidian

distances
Distance on Poincarè Disk Model
AM / AN AM  BN
d ( A, B)  ln  ln
BM / BN AN  BM

Now work through axioms

1.d(A, B) = 0  A = B
2.d(A, B) = d(B, A)
3.Given A, B, C points,
d(A, B) + d(B, C)  d(A, C)
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Consider Activity 9.3a
 Concurrency of perpendicular bisectors
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Consider Activity 9.3b
 Circumcircle
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Conjecture
 Three perpendicular bisectors of sides of
Poincarè disk are concurrent at O
 Circle with center O, radius OA also contains
points B and C
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Note issue of  bisectors sometimes not
intersecting

 More on this later …

 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Recall Activity 9.4
 Concurrence of angle bisectors
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Recall Activity 9.4
 Resulting incenter
 Circumcircles, Incircles
of Hyperbolic Triangles
• Conjecture
 Three angle bisectors of sides of Poincarè
disk are concurrent at O
 Circle with center O, radius tangent to one
side is tangent to all three sides
 Congruence of Triangles in
Hyperbolic Plane
• Visual inspection unreliable
• Must use axioms, theorems of hyperbolic
plane
 First four axioms are available

• We will find that AAA is now a valid

criterion for congruent triangles!!
 Parallel Postulate in
Poincaré Disk
• Playfair’s Postulate
 Given any line l and any point P not on l, 
exactly one line on P that is parallel to l

P
• Definition 9.4
l
Two lines, l and m are parallel if the do
not intersect
 Parallel Postulate in
Poincaré Disk
• Playfare’s postulate Says  exactly one
line through point P, parallel to line
• What are two possible negations to the
postulate?
1. No lines through P, parallel
2. Many lines through P, parallel
Restate the first – Elliptic Parallel Postulate
 There is a line l and a point P not on l such
that every line through P intersects l
 Elliptic Parallel Postulate
• Examples of elliptic space
 Spherical geometry

• Great circle
 “Straight” line on the sphere
 Part of a circle with center at
center of sphere
 Elliptic Parallel Postulate
• Flat map with great circle will often be a
distorted “straight” line
 Elliptic Parallel Postulate
• Elliptic Parallel Theorem
 Given any line l and a point P not on l every
line through P intersects l

• Let line l be the equator

 All other lines (great
circles) through any point
must intersect the equator
 Hyperbolic Parallel Postulate
• Hyperbolic Parallel Postulate
 There is a line l and a point P not on l such
that …
more than one line through P is parallel to l
 Hyperbolic Parallel Postulate
• Result of hyperbolic parallel postulate
Theorem 9.4
 There is at least one triangle whose angle
sum is less than the sum of two right angles
 Hyperbolic Parallel Postulate
• Proof:
 We know  at least two lines parallel to l
 Note  to l, PQ
 Also  to PQ, m
and thus || to l
 Note line n also
|| to l
 Hyperbolic Parallel Postulate
 XPY > 0
 Not R on l such that we have PQR
 QPR < QPY
 Move R towards
fundamental circle,
QRP  0
 Thus QRP < XPY
 And PQR has one
rt. angle and the other two sum < 90
 Thus sum of angles < 180
Parallel Lines, Hyperbolic Plane
• Theorem 9.5 Hyperbolic Parallel Theorem
Given any line l, any point P, not on l,
 at leas two lines through P, parallel to l
 Remember
parallel means
they don’t
intersect
Parallel Lines, Hyperbolic Plane
• Lines outside the
limiting rays will be
parallel to line AB

 Called
ultraparallel or
superparallel or
hyperparallel
 Note line ED is limiting parallel with D at 
Parallel Lines, Hyperbolic Plane
• Consider Activity 9.7
 Note the congruent angles, DCE  FCD
Parallel Lines, Hyperbolic Plane
• Angles DCE & FCD are called the
angles of parallelism
 The angle between
one of the limiting
rays and CD
• Theorem 9.6
The two angles
of parallelism
are congruent
Parallel Lines, Hyperbolic Plane
• Note results of Activity 9.8
 CD is a common
perpendicular to
lines AB, HF
• Can be proved in
this context
 If two lines do not
intersect then either
they are limiting parallels
or have a common
perpendicular
Quadrilaterals, Hyperbolic Plane
• Recall results of Activity 9.9

• 90 angles at B and A

Quadrilaterals, Hyperbolic Plane
• Recall results of Activity 9.10

• 90 angles at B, A, and D only

• Called a Lambert quadrilateral
Quadrilaterals, Hyperbolic Plane
• Saccheri quadrilateral
 A pair of congruent sides
 Both perpendicular to a third side
Quadrilaterals, Hyperbolic Plane
• Angles at A and B are base angles
• Angles at E and F are
summit angles
 Note they are congruent
• Side EF is the summit

• You should have found

not possible to construct
rectangle (4 right angles)
Hyperbolic Geometry