Foundations of geometry and therefore are valid theorems in absolute geometry. Proposition I.31 proves the existence of parallel lines (by construction). Also, the Saccheri–Legendre theorem, which states that the sum of the angles in a triangle is at most 180°, can be proved. The theorems of absolute geometry hold in hyperbolic geometry as well as in Euclidean geometry. Absolute geometry is inconsistent with elliptic geometry: in elliptic geometry there are no parallel lines at all, but in absolute geometry parallel lines do exist. Also, in elliptic geometry, the sum of the angles in any triangle is greater than 180°. Logically, the axioms do
Hyperbolic triangle side with the corresponding letter) is strictly less than a straight angle. The difference between the measure of a straight angle and the sum of the measures of a triangle's angles is called the defect of the triangle. The area of a hyperbolic triangle is equal to its defect multiplied by the square of : This theorem, first proven by Johann Heinrich Lambert, is related to Girard's theorem in spherical geometry. In all the formulas stated below the sides , , and must be measured in absolute length, a unit so that the Gaussian curvature of the plane is −1.