Computational Euclid

Abstract: We analyse the axioms of Euclidean geometry according to standard object-oriented software development methodology. We find a perfect match: the main undefined concepts of the axioms translate to object classes. The result is a suite of C++ classes that efficiently supports the construction of complex geometric configurations. Although all computations are performed in floating-point arithmetic, they correctly implement as semi-decision algorithms the tests for equality of points, a point being on a line or in a plane, a line being in a plane, parallelness of lines, of a line and a plane, and of planes. That is, in accordance to the fundamental limitations to computability requiring that only negative outcomes are given with certainty, while positive outcomes only imply possibility of these conditions being true.