Treffer: Do Dogs Know the Trammel of Archimedes?
Title:
Do Dogs Know the Trammel of Archimedes?
Language:
English
Authors:
Source:
College Mathematics Journal. Sep 2011 42(4):299-308.
Availability:
Mathematical Association of America. 1529 Eighteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-741-9415; Tel: 202-387-5200; Fax: 202-387-1208; e-mail: maahq@maa.org; Web site: http://www.maa.org/pubs/cmj.html
Peer Reviewed:
Y
Physical Description:
PDF
Page Count:
10
Publication Date:
2011
Document Type:
Fachzeitschrift
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Descriptive
Education Level:
Higher Education
Descriptors:
DOI:
10.4169/college.math.j.42.4.299
ISSN:
0746-8342
Entry Date:
2012
Accession Number:
EJ961089
Database:
ERIC
Weitere Informationen
The refraction problem, well-known in calculus and physics, continues to reveal new insights. This paper presents a geometric solution in which the trammel of Archimedes plays the prominent role. When properly configured, the trammel generates an ellipse and its family of normal lines. One normal line in particular intersects the boundary separating the media, the intersection point being the solution. The trammel, implemented as a rolling circle mechanism, can be constructed physically and/or programmed as a computer animation.
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