Proving Infinitely Many Points on a Line in Geometry

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around proving that a line in a metric geometry contains infinitely many points. The original poster seeks to establish this using geometric principles, specifically distances and rulers, without relying on concepts from real analysis.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to formalize an intuitive understanding of the infinite nature of points on a line, questioning how to construct a proof based solely on geometric definitions. Participants raise questions regarding the definitions of "metric geometry" and "line," seeking clarification on foundational concepts.

Discussion Status

The discussion is currently focused on clarifying definitions and exploring the foundational aspects of metric geometry and lines. Participants are engaging with the original poster's definitions and prompting deeper examination of the concepts involved.

Contextual Notes

The original poster has indicated constraints on their approach, specifically avoiding real analysis and relying solely on geometric reasoning. This limitation may influence the direction of the discussion and the types of arguments that can be considered.

Lee33
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Homework Statement


Prove that a line in a metric geometry has infinitely many points.2. The attempt at a solution

I can't use any real analysis, like completeness. I can only use geometry to prove this, specifically distances and rulers.

Intituvely I understand why. Any segment with at least two points has infinitely many points, because, intuitively, given any two distinct points, there is a third one, distinct from both of them and so on. But how can I prove this formally?
 
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What is your definition of a "metric geometry"?
 
And, for that matter, your definition of "line"?
 
Sorry for that:

Metric geometry: An incidence geometry ##\{P, L\}##, where ##P## is the set of points, ##L## set of lines, together with a distance function ##d## satisfies if ever line ##l\in L## has a ruler. In this case we say ##M = \{P,L,d\}## is a metric geometry.

Line: for line I will define it as an incidence geometry. If every two distinct points in ##L## lie on a unique line and there exist three points ##a,b,c\in L## which do not lie all on one line. If ##\{P,L\}## is an incidence geometry and ##p,q\in P##, then the unique line ##l## on which both ##p,q## lie will be written as ##l=\vec{pq}##.
 

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