Using examples from everyday life, this text studies ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Explores their ancient origins and describes the reflective properties and roles of curves in design applications. 1993 edition. Includes 98 figures.

"Geometry Of Conics deals with the properties of conics (plane curves of second degree) that can be formulated and proved using only elementary geometry. Starting with the well-known optical properties of conics, this book moves to less trivial results, both classical and contemporary. It demonstrates the advantage of purely geometric methods of studying conics."--Publisher's website.

This concise text introduces students to analytical geometry, covering basic ideas and methods. Readily intelligible to any student with a sound mathematical background, it is designed both for undergraduates and for math majors. It will prove particularly valuable in preparing readers for more advanced treatments. The text begins with an overview of the analytical geometry of the straight line, circle, and the conics in their standard forms. It proceeds to discussions of translations and rotations of axes, and of the general equation of the second degree. The concept of the line at infinity is introduced, and the main properties of conics and pencils of conics are derived from the general equation. The fundamentals of cross-ratio, homographic correspondence, and line-coordinates are explored, including applications of the latter to focal properties. The final chapter provides a compact account of generalized homogeneous coordinates, and a helpful appendix presents solutions to many of the examples.

THE WORKS OF ARCHIMEDES - Archimedes. Thomas L. Heath. Cambridge Library Collection. Mathematics. Archimedes lived in the third century BCE, and died in the siege of Syracuse. Together with Euclid and Apollonius, he was one of the three great mathematicians of the ancient world, credited with astonishing breadth of thought and brilliance of insight. His practical inventions included the water-screw for irrigation, catapults and grappling devices for military defence on land and sea, compound pulley systems for moving large masses, and a model for explaining solar eclipses. According to Plutarch, however, Archimedes viewed his mechanical inventions merely as 'diversions of geometry at play'. His principal focus lay in mathematics, where his achievements in geometry, arithmetic and mechanics included work on spheres, cylinders and floating objects. This classic 1897 text celebrated Archimedes' achievements. Part 1 placed Archimedes in his historical context and presented his mathematical methods and discoveries, while Part 2 contained translations of his complete known writings.