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From: gwyn@brl-tgr.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: Question came up at a party
Message-ID: <1848@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 22-Jan-86 23:02:21 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1848
Posted: Wed Jan 22 23:02:21 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Jan-86 05:24:16 EST
References: <532@well.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
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> 	Is there a formula which describes *all* conic sections, which
> will generate a particular class of same (e.g., circles, hyperbolas)
> when certain coefficients are plugged into it?
> 
> 	This came up at a party, when one person maintained that the
> various conic sections are fundamentally different, and the rest of us
> that they are all 'special cases' of the same thing.  Finally, he
> challenged us to write an equation as above.  Nobody could do it!
> (But then, nobody there had a degree in math [if that means anything].)

Ax^2 + By^2 + Cxy + Dx + Ey + F = 0

This can be simplified, but why bother.  Look it up in any analytic
geometry text, math handbook, etc.