We’ve been looking at degenerate figures, starting with the most interesting case, degenerate conic sections. But other things can also be degenerate, so we should take a look at some of these, which perhaps arise even more often. We’ll examine triangles that aren’t triangles, rectangles that aren’t rectangles, and bigger polygons – or smaller polygons! …
Last time we looked at what a degenerate conic section is, and how it relates on one hand to actual cones, and on the other to the general equation of the conic. Here we’ll look at the parameters of conic sections (focus, directrix, axes, and especially eccentricity) and how they apply to degenerate cases. Does …
Degenerate Conics II: Are Their Parameters Meaningful? Read More »
Degenerate cases are instances of a concept that are just on the edge of fitting its definition. They occur when we stretch a definition to its limits, at which point some of the original properties remain, but others break. We’ll start here with common instances of the phenomenon, in conic sections, pursuing the elusive case …
Degenerate Conics I: Mystery of the Missing Case Read More »