Related papers: Benedetti's constructions of ovals
The parameterisation of rotations in three dimensional Euclidean space is an area of applied mathematics that has long been studied, dating back to the original works of Euler in the 18th century. As such, many ways of parameterising a…
The solution of Apollonius' problem on constructing a circle (line), tangent to three given circles (lines), is presented in terms of oriented circles and inversive invariants. Tangency is understood as the coincidence of tangent vectors at…
The solution of the geodesic problem for an oblate ellipsoid is developed in terms of series. Tables are provided to simplify the computation. [This is a transcription of F. W. Bessel, Astronomische Nachrichten 4(86), 241-254 (1825). The…
This work discusses an approach to solving geometric construction problems in which the given figure is included in a set ordered by construction steps. The flow of information is carried through the chain, allowing the original problem to…
We study the famous Leonardo Da Vinci's domes, as well as the variations invented by Rinus Roelofs, from a mathematical viewpoint. In particular, we consider the problem of closing the dome in order to produce a spherical structure. We…
The classical Apollonius' problem is to construct circles that are tangent to three given circles in a plane. This problem was posed by Apollonius of Perga in his work "Tangencies". The Sylvester problem, which was introduced by the English…
This paper is a sharp and focussed exploration of the Fibonacci substitution and the mathematical entity it gives rise to, the Fibonacci word. Our investigations are both of an algebraic and a geometric nature. Indeed, it is the combination…
On the perimeter length determination of the eight-centered oval. Several studies have shown that an eight-centered oval coincides almost perfectly with the ellipse constructed on the same axes and can be considered as a representation of…
There are two hypotheses on Leonardo's polyhedron based on the Pseudo-RCO and drawn for Luca Pacioli's book: Leonardo made an error, or: Leonardo draw it with intention, as it is. We give arguments, which support the Intention-hypothesis.
About 160 years ago, the Italian mathematician Fa\`a di Bruno published two notes dealing about the now eponymous formula giving the derivative of any order of a composition of two functions. We reproduce here the two original notes, Fa\`a…
We introduce the notion of Lombardi graph drawings, named after the American abstract artist Mark Lombardi. In these drawings, edges are represented as circular arcs rather than as line segments or polylines, and the vertices have perfect…
It is well known that several classical geometry problems (e.g., angle trisection) are unsolvable by compass and straightedge constructions. But what kind of object is proven to be non-existing by usual arguments? These arguments refer to…
Eugenio Beltrami published his seminal 'Essay on the Interpretation of Non-Euclidean Geometry' in 1868, where he showed that geodesics on a surface of constant negative curvature can be mapped as straight lines on a Euclidean disc. More…
In this thesis, written in Italian, some original results are presented: two new optical invariants, similar to that of Lagrange, the generalization of the third order Luneburg's aberrations formulae and the detailed proof of the way they…
In his famous work, "Measurement of a Circle," Archimedes described a procedure for measuring both the circumference of a circle and the area it bounds. Implicit in his work is the idea that his procedure defines these quantities. Modern…
In the 16th century, Simon Stevin initiated a modern approach to decimal representation of measuring numbers, marking a transition from the discrete arithmetic practised by the Greeks to the arithmetic of the continuum taken for granted…
We refer here to the surprising construction made by Giuseppe Peano in 1890. He gave an example of a continuous function (called now the Peano curve) from the unit interval to the whole unit square. We show here the existence of a more…
In this paper, we propose that 'embodied mathematics' should be studied not only by reduction to the present individual bodily experience but in an historical context as well, as far as the origins of mathematics are concerned. Some early…
In a paper from 1886, Martinetti enumerated small $v_3$-configurations. One of his tools was a construction that permits to produce a $(v+1)_3$-configuration from a $v_3$-configuration. He called configurations that were not constructible…
In this comment we propose a novel explanation for the Leonardo's rule concerning the tree branching. According to Leonardo's notebooks he observed that if one observes the branches of a tree, the squared radius of the principal branch is…