Geometry 101: Beginner to Intermediate Level

Although we may not always recognize it, we use basic geometry skills regularly in everyday life. For instance, we consider whether a picture on the wall is parallel with the floor, or we calculate the area of a room when installing new carpeting.

Geometry is also an integral part of many other areas of study, including physics and other natural sciences. This course provides a more rigorous mathematical foundation for both practical and theoretical geometric thinking.

The course begins by considering basic figures such as points, lines, and planes, and then expands into the concepts of parallelism and perpendicularity as well as more complicated geometric figures such as polygons (triangles, quadrilaterals, and so on) and circles. The course considers mainly two-dimensional figures, but two lessons on three-dimensional geometry provide more complete coverage of the subject.

Each successive lesson in the course builds on previous lessons, culminating in lessons that teach the student how to calculate lengths, areas, and volumes of more complicated figures. In addition to its in-depth discussion of the mathematical aspects of geometry, the course also includes lessons on how to draw various figures using a compass and straightedge as well as a lesson on strategy for solving real-world geometry problems.
The course concludes by applying all that the student has learned to a brief introduction to trigonometry, thereby providing a jumping-off point for a more rigorous study of geometry as well as other areas of mathematics. By the end of the course, the student should feel comfortable tackling a range of basic to moderately difficult geometry problems.