HISTORY OF ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO

PRESENT DAY MATHEMATICS

Analytic Geometry is also known as coordinate geometry or Cartesian geometry. It

is the study of geometry using a coordinate system. It is a branch of algebra that is
used to model geometric objects - points, (straight) lines, and circles being the most
basic of these.

HISTORY:

 APPOLLONIUS OF PERGA- known as the “GREAT GEOMETER” of the Ancient

Greece. Apollonius in the Conics further developed a method that is so similar
to analytic geometry that his work is sometimes thought to have anticipated the
work of Descartes by some 1800 years..

 FRANCOIS VIETE - introduced the first systematic algebraic notation, using

letters to represent known and unknown numerical quantities. He developed
powerful general methods for working with algebraic expressions and solving
algebraic equations.

 RENE DESCARTES- is generally regarded as the father of Analytical Geometry .

His name in Latin is Renatius Cartesius — so you can see that our terminology
“Cartesian plane” and “Cartesian coordinate system” are derived from his name.
Analytical Geometry is also often called Cartesian Geometry or Coordinate
geometry. In his book La Geometrie (an appendix to Discours de la Méthode)
Descartes begins by looking at "How multiplication, division and extraction of
square roots are performed geometrically". This is essentially a description of
some Greek constructions. Only the algebraic notation is new. We say "only",
but of course the application of algebra to geometry was Descartes's great
achievement.

 PIERRE DE FERMAT - emphasized any relation between X and Y coordinates a

curve. Although not published in his lifetime, a manuscript form of Ad locos
planos et solidos isagoge (Introduction to Plane and Solid Loci) was circulating in
Paris in 1637, just prior to the publication of Descartes' Discourse. Clearly
 written and well received, the Introduction also laid the groundwork for
analytical geometry. The key difference between Fermat's and Descartes'
treatments is a matter of viewpoint: Fermat always started with an algebraic
equation and then described the geometric curve which satisfied it, whereas
Descartes started with geometric curves and produced their equations as one of
several properties of the curves.

Cartesian Plane and its parts

A Cartesian plane is a graph with one x-axis and one y-axis. These two
axes are perpendicular to each other. The origin (O) is in the exact
center of the graph. Numbers to the right of the zero on the x-axis are
positive; numbers to the left of zero are negative. For the y-axis,
numbers below zero are negative and numbers above are positive.

Parts:

 X- axis - a horizontal number line going from left to right.

 Y- axis - a vertical number line going from the bottom to the

top.
 Origin - This point is the only point with a fixed (unchanging -
always the same). The point (0,0).
 Ordered pairs - The first number in the ordered pair is
the x-value or x-coordinate and the second is the y-value or
y-coordinate.

Quadrants of The Coordinate Plane

The x-axis and y-axis divide the coordinate plane into four
sections called quadrants. Sometimes they are labeled using
Roman numerals I, II, III, and IV. Other times they are labeled
Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4.
 The distance formula
In Analytical Geometry, we use an alternate approach: We use
a coordinate system to work out the distance between the two
points.
Distance in one dimension
Firstly, we need to clarify what “distance” means in a
one-dimensional system (i.e. on a number line).
The distance between two points in a one-dimensional coordinate system is defined as the absolute value
of the difference between their coordinates.

For example, on this number line:

Distance between -1 and 3 is

Distance between 3 and -1 is

Distance in two dimensions

Using Cartesian coordinates on the plane, the distance between two
points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is defined by the formua:
 The midpoint of a line segment

One of the most important and useful results in Analytical Geometry is

the formula for the midpoint of a line segment, given the coordinates of
the endpoints.

Conic section
A conic section (or simply conic) is a curve obtained as the intersection of
the surface of a cone with a plane. The three types of conic section are
the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse; the circle is a special case of the
ellipse, though historically it was sometimes called a fourth type. The ancient Greek
mathematicians studied conic sections, culminating around 200 BC with Apollonius
of Perga's systematic work on their properties.

Common Parts of Conic Sections:

 Focus- is a point about which the conic section is constructed. In
other words, it is a point about which rays reflected from the curve
converge.
 Directrix- is a line used to construct and define a conic section. The
distance of a directrix from a point on the conic section has a
constant ratio to the distance from that point to the focus.

Parabola- A parabola is formed when the plane is parallel to the surface

of the cone, resulting in a U-shaped curve that lies on the plane.

Hyperbola- A hyperbola is formed when the plane is parallel to the

cone’s central axis, meaning it intersects both parts of the double cone.

Circle- A circle is formed when the plane is parallel to the base of the
cone. Its intersection with the cone is therefore a set of points
equidistant from a common point (the central axis of the cone), which
meets the definition of a circle.

Ellipse- When the plane’s angle relative to the cone is between the
outside surface of the cone and the base of the cone, the resulting
intersection is an ellipse. The definition of an ellipse includes being
parallel to the base of the cone as well, so all circles are a special case of
the ellipse.
Graph of a Parabola: