Difference between revisions of "Plane"
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | [[File:lighterstill.jpg]] | + | [[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Two_planes_2.jpg|right|frame]] |
In [[mathematics]], a '''plane''' is any flat, two-[[dimensional]] [[surface]]. A plane is the two dimensional analogue of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_(geometry) point] (zero-dimensions), a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_(geometry) line] (one-dimension) and a [[space]] (three-dimensions). Planes can arise as subspaces of some higher dimensional space, as with the walls of a room, or they may enjoy an independent [[existence]] in their own right, as in the setting of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_geometry Euclidean geometry]. | In [[mathematics]], a '''plane''' is any flat, two-[[dimensional]] [[surface]]. A plane is the two dimensional analogue of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_(geometry) point] (zero-dimensions), a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_(geometry) line] (one-dimension) and a [[space]] (three-dimensions). Planes can arise as subspaces of some higher dimensional space, as with the walls of a room, or they may enjoy an independent [[existence]] in their own right, as in the setting of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_geometry Euclidean geometry]. | ||
Revision as of 00:42, 12 February 2010
In mathematics, a plane is any flat, two-dimensional surface. A plane is the two dimensional analogue of a point (zero-dimensions), a line (one-dimension) and a space (three-dimensions). Planes can arise as subspaces of some higher dimensional space, as with the walls of a room, or they may enjoy an independent existence in their own right, as in the setting of Euclidean geometry.
When working in two-dimensional Euclidean space, the definite article is used, the plane, to refer to the whole space. Many fundamental tasks in geometry, trigonometry, and graphing are performed in two-dimensional space, or in other words, in the plane. A lot of mathematics can be and has been performed in the plane, notably in the areas of geometry, trigonometry, graph theory and graphing.
