1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Witch of Agnesi

WITCH OF AGNESI, in geometry, a cubic curve invented by Maria Gaetana Agnesi. It is constructed by the following method: Let AQB be a semicircle of diameter AB, produce MQ the ordinate of Q to P so that MQ : MP :: AM : AB. Then the locus of P is the witch. The cartesian equation, if A be taken as origin and AB (=2a) for the axis of x, is xy²=4а²(2а−х). The curve consists of one branch entirely to the left of the line x=2a and having the axis of y as an asymptote.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.