Which statement is an example of an axiom?

Question

Which statement is an example of an axiom?

a) The whole is greater than the part. 

b) Through any two points there exists one line.

c) If two lines intersect, then their intersection is a point.

d) The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

e) A line contains at least two points.

I'm not sure how to answer this, I know the definition of Axiom, but I'm not sure which statement is correct.

(Axiom- A statement deemed as obviously true.)

Answer 1

In mathematics an axiom is not simply a statement that is obviously true, though this might be how you define it in English class or even general life. Instead, in math an axiom is one of the predefined building blocks on which the laws of mathematics are built . It is a math law we take as true simply because it is, and we use axioms and laws built from axioms and laws built from laws built from axioms, etc, to prove whatever outcome we are trying to prove in math. Perhaps you already knew this and I did not at first understand it from the definition you gave . In any case, I am not totally sure which of these is considered an axiom of geometry, but I would suggest looking in your textbook or on google to see if any of these statements are named as being axioms by a math authority.