In inversive geometry, an inverse curve of a given curve C is the result of applying

an inverse operation to C. Specifically, with respect to a fixed circle with center O and radius k the
inverse of a point Q is the point P for which P lies on the ray OQ and OP·OQ = k2. The inverse of
the curve C is then the locus of P as Q runs over C. The point O in this construction is called
the center of inversion, the circle the circle of inversion, and k the radius of inversion.
An inversion applied twice is the identity transformation, so the inverse of an inverse curve with
respect to the same circle is the original curve. Points on the circle of inversion are fixed by the
inversion, so its inverse is itself.

Contents

• 1Equations
• 2Degrees
• 3Examples
• 4Particular cases
o 4.1Lines
o 4.2Circles
o 4.3Parabolas with center of inversion at the vertex
o 4.4Conic sections with center of inversion at a focus
o 4.5Ellipses and hyperbolas with center of inversion at a vertex
o 4.6Ellipses and hyperbolas with center of inversion at the center
o 4.7Conics with arbitrary center of inversion
• 5Anallagmatic curves
• 6See also
• 7References
• 8External links

Equations[edit]
The inverse of the point (x, y) with respect to the unit circle is (X, Y) where

or equivalently

So the inverse of the curve determined by f(x, y) = 0 with respect to the unit circle is
It is clear from this that inverting an algebraic curve of degree n with respect to a circle
produces an algebraic curve of degree at most 2n.
Similarly, the inverse of the curve defined parametrically by the equations

with respect to the unit circle is given parametrically as

This implies that the circular inverse of a rational curve is also rational.
More generally, the inverse of the curve determined by f(x, y) = 0 with respect
to the circle with center (a, b) and radius k is

The inverse of the curve defined parametrically by

with respect to the same circle is given parametrically as

In polar coordinates, the equations are simpler when the circle of

inversion is the unit circle. The inverse of the point (r, θ) with
respect to the unit circle is (R, Θ) where

So the inverse of the curve f(r, θ) = 0 is determined

by f(1/R , Θ) = 0 and the inverse of the
curve r = g(θ) is r = 1/g(θ).

Degrees[edit]
As noted above, the inverse with respect to a circle of a curve
of degree n has degree at most 2n. The degree is
exactly 2n unless the original curve passes through the point of
inversion or it is circular, meaning that it contains the circular
points, (1, ±i, 0), when considered as a curve in the complex
projective plane. In general, inversion with respect to an
arbitrary curve may produce an algebraic curve with
proportionally larger degree.
Specifically, if C is p-circular of degree n, and if the center of
inversion is a singularity of order q on C, then the inverse curve
will be an (n − p − q)-circular curve of degree 2n − 2p − q and
the center of inversion is a singularity of order n − 2p on the
inverse curve. Here q = 0 if the curve does not contain the
center of inversion and q = 1 if the center of inversion is a
nonsingular point on it; similarly the circular points, (1, ±i, 0),
are singularities of order p on C. The value k can be eliminated
from these relations to show that the set of p-circular curves of
degree p + k, where p may vary but k is a fixed positive
integer, is invariant under inversion.

Examples[edit]
Applying the above transformation to the lemniscate of
Bernoulli

gives us

the equation of a hyperbola; since inversion is a

birational transformation and the hyperbola is a rational
curve, this shows the lemniscate is also a rational
curve, which is to say a curve of genus zero.
If we apply the transformation to the Fermat
curve xn + yn = 1, where n is odd, we obtain

Any rational point on the Fermat curve has a

corresponding rational point on this curve, giving
an equivalent formulation of Fermat's Last
Theorem.

Particular cases[edit]
For simplicity, the circle of inversion in the
following cases will be the unit circle. Results for
other circles of inversion can be found by
translation and magnification of the original curve.

Lines[edit]
For a line passing through the origin, the polar
equation is θ = θ0 where θ0 is fixed. This remains
unchanged under the inversion.
The polar equation for a line not passing through
the origin is
and the equation of the inverse curve is

which defines a circle passing through the

origin. Applying the inversion again shows
that the inverse of a circle passing through
the origin is a line.

Circles[edit]
In polar coordinates, the general equation
for a circle that does not pass through the
origin (the other cases having been
covered) is

where a is the radius and (r0, θ0) are

the polar coordinates of the center.
The equation of the inverse curve is
then

or

This is the equation of a circle

with radius

and center whose polar

coordinates are

Note that R0 may be

negative.