Sunday, August 31, 2025

Configuration

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Configuration

Configuration is a plane consisting finite points and finite lines. It is described by an incidence table in which points are listed down to left and lines are across the top in the table.

Example 1

A triangle is a configuration with a total of three points and three lines.
Triangle A B C
a x x
b x x
c x x
The triangle is self-dual.

Example 2

A complete four point is a configuration with a total of four points and six lines.
Complete four point \(L_1\) \(L_1'\) \(L_2\) \(L_2'\) \(L_3\) \(L_3'\)
\(a_0\) x x x
\(a_1\) x x x
\(a_2\) x x x
\(a_3\) x x x
The complete four point is not self-dual.

Example 3

A fano-configuration is a configuration with a total of seven points and seven lines.
Fano \(L_1\) \(L_1'\) \(L_2\) \(L_2'\) \(L_3\) \(L_3'\) \(D\)
\(a_0\) x x x
\(a_1\) x x x
\(a_2\) x x x
\(a_3\) x x x
\(d_1\) x x x
\(d_2\) x x x
\(d_3\) x x x
The fano-configuration is self-dual.

Example 4

Pappus configuration is a configuration with a total of nine points and nine points.
Papus \(L\) \(L'\) \(A\) \(B\) \(C\) \(A'\) \(B'\) \(C'\) \(P\)
\(a\) x x x
\(b\) x x x
\(c\) x x x
\(a'\) x x x
\(b'\) x x x
\(c'\) x x x
\(a''\) x x x
\(b''\) x x x
\(c''\) x x x
The Pappus configuration is self-dual.

Example 5

A Desargues configuration is a configuration with a total of
ten points each on three lines and
ten lines each on three point.
The incidence of points and lines on Desargues configuration is given below with
A=(b,c,a''),..., A'=(b',c',a'')...,A''=(a,a',p) so on and L=(a'',b'',c'')
Desargues \(A''\) \(B''\) \(C''\) \(A\) \(B\) \(C\) \(A'\) \(B'\) \(C'\) \(L\)
\(a\) x x x
\(b\) x x x
\(c\) x x x
\(a'\) x x x
\(b'\) x x x
\(c'\) x x x
\(a''\) x x x
\(b''\) x x x
\(c''\) x x x
\(p\) x x x
The Desargues configuration is self-dual.

Tactical configuration

Let \( \sigma\) be a configuration and \( r,s \in \mathbb{z}^+\) then \(\sigma \) is called tactical configuration if and only if
each point is exactly on r lines and
each line is exactly on s points.
If such points and lines are respectively m and n in number, we denote the tactical configuration by
\( (m_r, n_s)\)
Such four numbers r,s,m,n in tactical configuration are independent but evidently satisfy the equation
mr=ns
Also the dual of
\((m_r, n_s)\) is \((n_s,m_r)\)
For instance dual of
\( (4_3,6_2)\) is \( (6_2,4_3)\)

Some examples of tactical configuration are given below.

  1. Triangle is a tactical configuration with \((3_2,3_2)=(3_2)\)
  2. Complete four point is tactical configuration with \((4_3,6_2)\)
  3. Fano-configuration is tactical configuration:\((7_3,7_3)=(7_3)\)
  4. Pappus configuration is tactical with \((9_3,9_3)=(9_3)\)
  5. Desargues configuration is tactical with \((10_3,10_3)=(10_3)\)

The tactical configuration of points and lines satisfies:

  1. The number of points is finite.
  2. The number of lines is finite.
  3. Each point is on the same number of lines (2 or greater)
  4. Each line is on the same number of points (2 or greater)
  5. Each pair of distinct points is on at most one line.
  6. Each pair of distinct lines is on at most one point.
  7. Not all points are on the same line.
  8. There exists at least one line.
If \( \pi \) is tactical configuration with \( (m_n):m=n^2-n+1,n \geq 3\) then show that \( \pi \) is projective plane.
A finite projective plane is a tactical configuration and for some \(n\geq 3\), it has form \((m_n)\) with \(m=n^2-n+1\) .
If \( \alpha\) is tactical configuration with then show that is affine plane.
A finite affine plane is a tactical configuration and for some \(n \ge 2\) , it has form \( \left (n^2_{n+1},n^2+n_n \right )\).

Duality

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Duality

Duality is a transformation that maps lines and points into points and lines, respectively, while preserving certain geometric properties. It involves interchanging the roles of points and lines in an incidence structure.

Let \( \sigma = (\mathscr{P}, \mathscr{L}, \mathcal{I}) \) be an incidence structure. The dual of \( \sigma \), denoted by \( \sigma^d \), is defined as:

\( \sigma^d = (\mathscr{L}, \mathscr{P}, \mathcal{I}^{-1}) \)

where points of \( \sigma^d \) are the lines of \( \sigma \), and the lines of \( \sigma^d \) are the points of \( \sigma \).

Points are collinear

The dual statement of "Points are collinear" is "Lines are concurrent"

Lines are concurrent



Principle of Duality

In projective geometry, any true statement expressed in terms of points, lines, and incidence has a dual statement obtained by interchanging the words “point” and “line”. If the original statement is valid, then so is its dual — without requiring a separate proof. This symmetry is known as the Principle of Duality.




Show that the principle of duality holds in the class of projective planes.

NOTE

Therefore, the dual of a projective plane is also a projective plane. This proves the Principle of Duality



Isomorphism

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Isomorphism

[isomorphism ! definition]

Let \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two planes then \( \sigma \) and \( \sigma '\) are isomorphic if there exist a bijections
\( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}', F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) provided \( (p,L) \in \mathscr{I} \) iff \( (p',L') \in \mathscr{I'} \) .
Isomorphic planes \( \sigma \) and \( \sigma '\) are denoted by \( \sigma \sim \sigma '\).

Note:
Let \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two isomorphic planes, then

  • \( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}'\) is bijection
  • \( F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) is bijection
  • \( f \) preserves the collinearity
Theorem: If \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two planes and \( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}'\) is bijection such that points \( a_1,a_2,a_3, \cdots \in P \) are collinear if and only if \( f(a_1), f(a_2), f(a_3),\cdots \in P'\) are collinear then \( \sigma \sim \sigma '\).

[isomorphism ! theorem]

Proof
Given, \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two planes with a bijection \( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}'\) and preserves collinearity.
Now, we show \( F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) is a bijection.
  • F is well defined and one-one
    Let \(L_1 \in \mathscr{L}\), and \( L_2 \in \mathscr{L'}\), then then \( x_1,y_1 \in L_1 \) and \( x_2,y_2 \in L_2\).
    Suppose, \(L_1=L_2 \), then, \(x_1,y_1, x_2,y_2 \) are collinear. This implies that
    \(f(x_1),f(y_1),f(x_2),f(y_2)\) are collinear, so \(F(L_1)=F(L_2)\).
    Hence, \( F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) is well defined and one-one.
  • F is onto
    For each \( L' \in \mathscr{L'} \) there exists \( x',y' \in L' \) such that
    \(f(x)=x', f(y)=y'\)
    Since, \(f(x),f(y)\) are collinear, therefore \(x,y\) are collinear
    Thus, there exists a line \( L \in \mathscr{L}\) such that \(F(L)=L'\), where \(L=xy\)
    Hence, \(F\) is onto
This completes the proof.
© Geometry Notes. All rights reserved.

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Real Affine and Projective Plane

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Real Affine Plane

Definition: Real affine plane

The Real Affine Plane is an incidence structure satisfying the following axioms:

  1. Point is an ordered pair \((x,y)\) where \(x, y \in \mathbb{R}\).
  2. Line is the set of points \((x,y)\) satisfying \(ax + by + c = 0\), where \(a, b, c \in \mathbb{R}\), and not both \(a\) and \(b\) are zero.
  3. A point \((x_0, y_0)\) lies on the line \(ax + by + c = 0\) if and only if \(ax_0 + by_0 + c = 0\).

We denote the Real Affine Plane (also known as the Euclidean Plane) by \(\alpha_R\).

Theorem: Show that \(\alpha_R\) is an affine plane.
Proof: We verify the axioms:
  1. Two points determine a unique line:
    Let \((x_1, y_1)\), \((x_2, y_2)\) be two points. The line through them is: \[ (y_2 - y_1)x + (x_1 - x_2)y + (x_2 y_1 - x_1 y_2) = 0 \quad \text{(A)} \] Suppose another line \(ax + by + c = 0\) passes through both. Then: \[ ax_1 + by_1 + c = 0, \quad ax_2 + by_2 + c = 0 \] Solving gives \(a\) and \(b\) in terms of \(c\), leading back to (A). So the line is unique.
  2. Parallel line through a point:
    Given line \(L: ax + by + c = 0\) and point \(P = (x_0, y_0)\) not on \(L\), the line: \[ ax + by = ax_0 + by_0 \] passes through \(P\) and is parallel to \(L\). Uniqueness follows from slope and constant comparison.
  3. Three non-collinear points exist:
    \((0,0)\), \((1,0)\), \((0,1)\) are non-collinear.
Hence, \(\alpha_R\) is an affine plane. \(\blacksquare\)

Real Projective Plane

Definition: Real projective plane

In the projective plane, points are homogeneous coordinates: \([x_1, x_2, x_3]\), where scaling by \(k \ne 0\) gives the same point: \([x_1,x_2,x_3] = [kx_1,kx_2,kx_3]\).

If \(x_3 \ne 0\), we identify \([x_1,x_2,x_3]\) with \((x_1/x_3, x_2/x_3)\) in the affine plane.

Example: \([1,2,3] = [2,4,6]\), but as triples they are different.

Definition: The Real Projective Plane \(\pi_R\) is an incidence structure with:
  1. Point: Proportionality class \([x_1,x_2,x_3]\), not all zero.
  2. Line: Proportionality class \(\langle l_1,l_2,l_3 \rangle\), not all zero.
  3. Incidence: \([x_i]\) lies on \(\langle l_j \rangle\) iff \(l_1x_1 + l_2x_2 + l_3x_3 = 0\).
Theorem: \(\pi_R\) is a projective plane.
Proof: We show:
  1. Two points in \(\pi_R\) determine a line:
    Let \(x=[x_1,x_2,x_3]\) and \(y=[y_1,y_2,y_3]\) be two points, then \(\begin{vmatrix}x_1 & x_2\\y_1 & y_2\end{vmatrix} \neq 0\).
    Now, there exists a line: \[ \left\langle \begin{vmatrix}x_2 & x_3\\y_2 & y_3\end{vmatrix}, \begin{vmatrix}x_3 & x_1\\y_3 & y_1\end{vmatrix}, \begin{vmatrix}x_1 & x_2\\y_1 & y_2\end{vmatrix} \right\rangle \tag{A} \] Suppose there exists another line \(\langle l_1,l_2,l_3\rangle\) (i) passing through \(x\) and \(y\), then \[ l_1 x_1 + l_2 x_2 + l_3 x_3 = 0 \quad (ii), \quad l_1 y_1 + l_2 y_2 + l_3 y_3 = 0 \quad (iii) \] Solving (ii) and (iii), we get \[ l_1 = \frac{\begin{vmatrix}x_2 & x_3\\y_2 & y_3\end{vmatrix}}{\begin{vmatrix}x_1 & x_2\\y_1 & y_2\end{vmatrix}} l_3, \quad l_2 = \frac{\begin{vmatrix}x_3 & x_1\\y_3 & y_1\end{vmatrix}}{\begin{vmatrix}x_1 & x_2\\y_1 & y_2\end{vmatrix}} l_3 \] Hence, (i) and (A) are the same. Therefore, two points in \(\pi_R\) determine a line.
  2. Two lines always meet:
    Let \(L=\langle l_1,l_2,l_3\rangle\) and \(M=\langle m_1,m_2,m_3\rangle\) be two lines. Then \[ \left[\begin{vmatrix}l_2 & l_3\\m_2 & m_3\end{vmatrix}, \begin{vmatrix}l_3 & l_1\\m_3 & m_1\end{vmatrix}, \begin{vmatrix}l_1 & l_2\\m_1 & m_2\end{vmatrix}\right] \] is a point on both.
  3. There is a four-point:
    By inspection, \([1,1,1],[1,0,0],[0,1,0],[0,0,1]\) is a four-point.
Hence \(\pi_R\) is a projective plane. \(\blacksquare\)

Summary: From Affine to Projective

  • \((x,y) \in \alpha_R \mapsto [x,y,1] \in \pi_R\)
  • Line \(ax+by+c=0 \mapsto \langle a,b,c \rangle\)
  • Points \([a,b,0]\) are points at infinity
  • Line \(\langle 0,0,1 \rangle\) is the line at infinity
Important: These results connect algebra and geometry. Determinants characterize collinearity and concurrency.
Theorem: Points \([x_1,x_2,x_3]\), \([y_1,y_2,y_3]\), \([z_1,z_2,z_3]\) are collinear iff \[ \begin{vmatrix} x_1 & x_2 & x_3 \\ y_1 & y_2 & y_3 \\ z_1 & z_2 & z_3 \end{vmatrix} = 0 \]
Proof: The point \(z\) lies on the line through \(x\) and \(y\) iff the incidence condition holds, which expands to the determinant being zero. \(\blacksquare\)

Corollaries

  1. Lines \(\langle l_i \rangle\), \(\langle m_i \rangle\), \(\langle n_i \rangle\) concurrent iff determinant of coefficients is zero.
  2. If \(x, y\) lie on a line, then \(z\) lies on it iff \(z_i = \lambda x_i + \mu y_i\) for some \(\lambda,\mu\).
  3. Three points collinear iff there exist \(\alpha,\beta,\gamma\) not all zero such that \(\alpha x_i + \beta y_i + \gamma z_i = 0\).

Projective Plane over a Division Ring

Let \(D\) be a division ring. Define:

  • \(\mathscr{P}_D = \{[x_1,x_2,x_3] \mid (x_i) \in D^3 \setminus \{0\}\}\)
  • \(\mathscr{L}_D = \{\langle l_1,l_2,l_3 \rangle \mid (l_i) \in D^3 \setminus \{0\}\}\)
  • Incidence: \(l_1x_1 + l_2x_2 + l_3x_3 = 0\)
Theorem: Prove that \(\pi_D=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) is projective plane
Proof: Projective Plane Example
Let \(D\) be a division ring and \(T = D^3 \setminus \{(0,0,0)\}\) be the set of all non-zero triples of \(D\). Now we show:
  1. We define \(\mathscr{P}_D= \{[x_1,x_2,x_3] : (x_1,x_2,x_3) \in T \}\), where each point is a proportionality class of triples, not all zero.
  2. We define \(\mathscr{L}_D= \{ \langle l_1,l_2,l_3\rangle : (l_1,l_2,l_3) \in T \}\), where each line is a proportionality class of triples, not all zero.
  3. We define that a point \([x_1,x_2,x_3]\) lies on a line \(\langle l_1,l_2,l_3 \rangle\) iff \(l_1 x_1 + l_2 x_2 + l_3 x_3 = 0\).
Here, \(\pi_D=( \mathscr{P}_D, \mathscr{L}_D, I)\) is an incidence structure. Using Theorem \ref{pitheorem}, we conclude that \(\pi_D\) is a projective plane. Hence the theorem. \(\blacksquare\)
Theorem. If \(F\) is a field, then \(\pi_F=(\mathscr{P,L,I})\) is a projective plane.
Proof. The proof of the theorem is similar to the theorem for \(\pi_D\), so left for the reader.
Important Note.
If \(q\) is a power of a prime, then there exists a projective plane of order \(q\). If \(q\) is congruent to 1 or 2 modulo 4 and is not the sum of the squares of two integers, then there exists no projective plane of order \(q\).

Isomorphism of Planes

Planes \(\sigma = (\mathscr{P},\mathscr{L},\mathscr{I})\) and \(\sigma'\) are isomorphic (\(\sigma \sim \sigma'\)) if there are bijections: \[ f: \mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P'}, \quad F: \mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L'} \] preserving incidence: \((P,L) \in \mathscr{I} \iff (f(P), F(L)) \in \mathscr{I'}\).

Theorem: If \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two planes and \( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}'\) is bijection such that points \( a_1,a_2,a_3, \cdots \in P \) are collinear if and only if \( f(a_1), f(a_2), f(a_3),\cdots \in P'\) are collinear then \( \sigma \sim \sigma '\).
Proof: Given, \( \sigma=(\mathscr{P,L,I}) \) and \( \sigma '=(\mathscr{P',L',I'}) \) are two planes with a bijection \( f:\mathscr{P} \to \mathscr{P}'\) and preserves collinearity. Now, we show \( F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) is a bijection.
  1. \(F\) is well defined and one-one:
    Let \(L_1 \in \mathscr{L}\), and \( L_2 \in \mathscr{L'}\), then \( x_1,y_1 \in L_1 \) and \( x_2,y_2 \in L_2\). Suppose \(L_1=L_2 \), then \(x_1,y_1, x_2,y_2 \) are collinear. This implies that \(f(x_1),f(y_1),f(x_2),f(y_2)\) are collinear, so \(F(L_1)=F(L_2)\). Hence, \( F:\mathscr{L} \to \mathscr{L}'\) is well defined and one-one.
  2. \(F\) is onto:
    For each \( L' \in \mathscr{L'} \) there exists \( x',y' \in L' \) such that \(f(x)=x', f(y)=y'\). Since \(f(x),f(y)\) are collinear, therefore \(x,y\) are collinear. Thus, there exists a line \( L \in \mathscr{L}\) such that \(F(L)=L'\), where \(L=xy\). Hence, \(F\) is onto.
This completes the proof. \(\blacksquare\)
© 2025 | Geometry Notes | Real Affine and Projective Planes

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