History of Conic Sections

Ellipse Parabola Hyperbola

Conic sections are among the oldest curves, and are the oldest math subject studied systematically and thoroughly. The
conics seem to have been discovered by Menaechmus (a Greek, ≈375 BCE 〜 325 BCE), tutor to Alexander the Great.
They were conceived in an attempt to solve the three famous problems of trisecting the angle, duplicating the cube, and
squaring the circle. The conics were first defined as the intersection of: a right circular cone of varying vertex angle; a
plane perpendicular to an element of the cone. (An element of a cone is any line that makes up the cone). Depending on if
the angle is less than, equal to, or greater than 90 degrees, we get ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola respectively. Apollonius
(≈262 BCE 〜 190 BCE) (known as The Great Geometer) consolidated and extended previous results of conics into a
monograph Conic Sections, consisting of eight books with 487 propositions. Quote from Morris Kline: “As an achievement
it [Apollonius’ Conic Sections] is so monumental that it practically closed the subject to later thinkers, at least from the
purely geometrical standpoint.” Book VIII of Conic Sections is lost to us. Apollonius’ Conic Sections and Euclid's
Elements may represent the quintessence of Greek mathematics.

Appollonius was the first to base the theory of all three conics on sections of one circular cone, right or oblique. He is also
the one to give the name ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola.

http://xahlee.info/SpecialPlaneCurves_dir/ConicSections_dir/conicSections.html

Menaechmus and early works

It is believed that the first definition of a conic section is due to Menaechmus (died 320 BC). This work does not survive,
however, and is only known through secondary accounts. The definition used at that time differs from the one commonly
used today in that it requires the plane cutting the cone to be perpendicular to one of the lines, (a generatrix), that generates
the cone as a surface of revolution. Thus the shape of the conic is determined by the angle formed at the vertex of the cone
(between two opposite generatrices): If the angle is acute then the conic is an ellipse; if the angle is right then the conic is a
parabola; and if the angle is obtuse then the conic is a hyperbola. Note that the circle cannot be defined this way and was
not considered a conic at this time.

Euclid ( fl. 300 BC ) is said to have written four books on conics but these were lost as well. [1] Archimedes (died c. 212 BC)
is known to have studied conics, having determined the area bounded by a parabola and an ellipse. The only part of this
work to survive is a book on the solids of revolution of conics.

Apollonius of Perga

The greatest progress in the study of conics by the ancient Greeks is due to Apollonius of Perga (died c.190 BC) ), whose
eight volume Conic Sections summarized the existing knowledge at the time and greatly extended it. Apollonius's major
innovation was to characterize a conic using properties within the plane and intrinsic to the curve; this greatly simplified
analysis. With this tool, it was now possible to show that any plane cutting the cone, regardless of its angle, will produce a
conic according to the earlier definition, leading to the definition commonly used today.
Pappus of Alexandria (died c. 350 CE) is credited with discovering importance of the concept of a focus of a conic, and the
discovery of the related concept of a directrix.

Al-Kuhi

An instrument for drawing conic sections was first described in 1000 CE by the Islamic mathematician Al-Kuhi.[2][3]

Omar Khayyám

Apollonius's work was translated into Arabic (the technical language of the time) and much of his work only survives
through the Arabic version. Persians found applications to the theory; the most notable of these was the Persian [4]
mathematician and poet Omar Khayyám who used conic sections to solve algebraic equations.

Europe

Johannes Kepler extended the theory of conics through the "principle of continuity", a precursor to the concept of limits.
Girard Desargues and Blaise Pascal developed a theory of conics using an early form of projective geometry and this
helped to provide impetus for the study of this new field. In particular, Pascal discovered a theorem known as the
hexagrammum mysticum from which many other properties of conics can be deduced. Meanwhile, René Descartes applied
his newly discovered Analytic geometry to the study of conics. This had the effect of reducing the geometrical problems of
conics to problems in algebra.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conic_section

Please use complete sentences to respond to the following prompts.

1. To whom are the first “discoveries” of conic sections attributed? What was this person investigating at the
time?
2. Name three mathematicians whose work on conic sections has been lost.
3. What was Apollonius major contribution to the study of conic sections?
4. Name three other mathematicians and their contributions to the study of conic sections.
5. How would you describe conic sections?