22 Feb
2007
22 Feb
'07
11:28 a.m.
For the Ovaloid where |P - F1| + k|P - F2| = c...
I think it's the "simplest," even though it has fourth powers in its equation. But, you know, scare quotes.
I have a hard time believing it never received interest before. The questions below are phrased as if it were a new thing.
Has anyone thought of a workable mechanical construction to plot it, analogous to the string around two pins?
For suitable values of k, couldn't you just modify the usual string-construction by having the string wrap multiple times? I think I've seen this described before in print (but I forget where). Jim Propp