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Title

Families of Plane Curves Rounding a Constant Area
Author

Tilak de Alwis
Organization: Southeastern Louisiana University
Department: Department of Mathematics
Journal / Anthology

Proceedings of the First Asian Technology Conference
Year: 1995
Page range: 300-309
Description

In this paper, we will consider several one-parameter families of plane curves bounding a constant area in the first quadrant. At the beginning, we will consider one-parameter families of straight lines, parabolas, and ellipses. The envelopes of these families are of significant interest. We will use the computer algebra system Mathematica to make certain conjectures regarding these envelopes. We will also show how to use Mathematica to create animations to illustrate the behavior of the above curves as the parameter changes. Finally, we consider more general types of one-parameter families of curves bounding a constant area. The computer algebra systems have completely changed the way we teach and think about mathematics. This paper will illustrate the great impact of the computer algebra systems on the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Subject

*Mathematics > Geometry > Plane Geometry