Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Encyclopedia of Ancient History |
Editors | Andrew Erskine |
Publisher | Wiley Online Library |
Pages | 1-3 |
Number of pages | 3 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781444338386 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781405179355 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2019 |
Abstract
Conic sections are curves obtained by cutting a cone with a plane which does not pass through the vertex of the cone. The principal conic sections are the parabola, the hyperbola, and ellipse. The circle can also be obtained as a conic section, but, in Greek mathematics, the circle is usually defined by simpler means. Conic sections were studied intensely throughout the Hellenistic period, but particularly by Apollonios of Perge, whose work Conics stands as one of the great works of all Greek mathematics.
Keywords
- ancient Greek
- Hellenistic period
- history of science
- intellectual history
- medicine and technology
- science