email:
conroy(at)math.washington.edu
Office: Padelford C-544
Office hours
I've added a cycloid applet to the resources list at right.
The double slider construction is an example of a linkage, a mechanical device used to generate curves. Here are some more excellent examples:
I added a conics section and an ellipse applet to the resources list at right. Check it out. I wrote it using JavaSketchpad which is a free chunk of java that you can use to write interactive geometry applet. You can read all about it here.
I added fractal applets to the resources list. Check them out, and think about the question "what is a curve?" when you consider the edge of these fractals.
An excellent piece of software is Planar Curve Explorer. This has the ability to show derived curves (in particular, evolutes and parallel curves, of a given curve). It primarily is designed to show information about curves and their curvature, a notion that we'll talk about in the seminar, and which is a topic in Math 126. The software requires Java.
As for software for generating curves, there is not a lot of open-source/free stuff available. I have used gnuplot quite a bit. It is rugged, pretty versatile, free, and capable of quite nice graphics. It runs on most any platform.
There is at least one good java program out there for curve plotting - I'll add a link to it soon...
This seminar will consider the fantastic variety of plane curves, from the common quadratic curves (ellipses, parabolas and hyperbolas), through cubic and quartic curves, to spirals, and the more exotic. We will discuss the history of many famous curves, methods of visualization and analysis, and some applications. There will be lots of pictures. Wednesdays @ 2:30 p.m.
Here is a link to this seminar's section on the time schedule if you are interested in registering.
If you are not a freshman, you will need an add code: email me for one.
The resources at right have a few images, animations, and applets to give you an idea of some of the ideas we'll be considering this quarter.