Illustrated with interesting examples from everyday life, this text shows how to create ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. It also presents historical background on their ancient origins and describes the reflective properties and roles of curves in design applications. Only a basic knowledge of plane geometry needed. 1993 edition. Includes 98 figures.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical Conic Sections,
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This review is from: Practical Conic Sections: The Geometric Properties of Ellipses, Parabolas and Hyperbolas (2003) (Paperback)
Simple and clear explanation of all the conic sections. Useful construction techniques. If you are looking for somithing a little more technical and mathematically rigorous look to another publication. Great introductory treatise.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strange book.,
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This review is from: Practical Conic Sections: The Geometric Properties of Ellipses, Parabolas and Hyperbolas (2003) (Paperback)
This is a fun, quirky book, but I don't know what sort of reader it's geared toward. Much of the book runs through methods of "deriving" conic sections--some traditional construction with a straightedge & a compass and some other stuff. (Method 2 of deriving an ellipse: "Ellipses occur naturally in free orbital motion." Method 5 of deriving hyperbolas involves drilling holes in a drawing table.) There are a few sections that address technological applications of conic sections, but the "practical" in the title seems mainly meant to distinguish the book's approach from "tedious proofs that abound in most books on the subject." The lack of proofs makes "Practical Conic Sections" mostly a catalogue of interesting facts. For a fun but more substantial book, try Excursions in Geometry.
5.0 out of 5 stars
To balance out review below...,
By RDG "Robert" (South Bend, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Practical Conic Sections: The Geometric Properties of Ellipses, Parabolas and Hyperbolas (2003) (Paperback)
What a ridiculous review below, which completely skews the rating on this book! It's a perfectly good, handy summary of the mathematics of the conic sections. My own work is in the history of mathematics, and I've often turned to this book to find obscure little facts that sixteenth or seventeenth-century mathematicians were taking for granted in their papers on conic sections -- and which are rarely taught in school or college geometry. Very dry, obviously, but very highly recommended, if it's the sort of thing you need.
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