Descriptive geometry represents solid bodies.
Geometry is a branch of mathematics dedicated to the analysis of magnitudes and properties of figures , both in space and on a plane. According to its specific object of study, it is possible to differentiate between different specializations or areas of geometry.
Descriptive geometry , in this framework, is focused on solving problems of the geometry of space through operations that are carried out on a plane , representing the figures of solid bodies .
What is descriptive geometry
To understand the definition of descriptive geometry, therefore, we have to understand what various concepts refer to. The geometry of space is that geometry that studies three-dimensional objects : that is, those that have three dimensions. Solids are precisely three-dimensional bodies .
Descriptive geometry, in short, makes it possible to represent three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface . In this way it helps to solve issues linked to spatial problems, but in two dimensions.
Engineers and architects often turn to descriptive geometry.
Its origins
The antecedents of descriptive geometry date back to ancient times. Precisely, there is a large number of drawings that were found in caves belonging to prehistory that show us the need that human beings have always felt to express themselves through drawing to capture representations of their environment . It is important to note that thanks to these creations, today we have a lot of information to try to understand how our ancestors lived, what their needs were and what discoveries they made through observation, for example.
Of course, it was only with the arrival of the Renaissance that human beings began to develop in-depth graphics, that is, to include in their drawings this dimensional axis without which we cannot imagine life. With the consolidation of geometric techniques, the representation of the figures of three-dimensional bodies on a plane was perfected and the foundations for technical drawing were laid.
Until the use of depth in graphic representations emerged, it was necessary to make drawings that were very faithful to reality, as if they were photographs, since the depth of the objects from a geometric point of view was not taken into account. Mathematics provides a series of conceptual tools that facilitate drawing, since they decompose reality into a series of very simple figures , each with its own properties. Something similar happens with musical notation, which allows you to study and memorize melodies through their analysis, something much less demanding for the brain than the mere process of remembering them raw.
Stonework is one of the disciplines that, towards the end of the Middle Ages, gave rise to the creation of highly complex three-dimensional works, especially the stones that were used to join arches or vaults.
Descriptive geometry today
As time went by, many people specialized in the use of perspective , and thus the formal bases of so-called projective geometry emerged, the part of mathematics that focuses on the study of geometric figures without including measurement. It was only in 1795 that the mathematician Gaspard Monge published a work called "Descriptive Geometry" .
Architecture , topography and engineering are some of the sciences that appeal to descriptive geometry, which is a useful tool for the development of any type of design.
In other words, descriptive geometry is ideal for any discipline that requires the representation of elements on a flat surface , which in the past used to be a sheet of paper and today, the virtual canvas provided by computer design programs.