Lemniscate

This article is about figure-eight shaped curves in algebraic geometry. For other uses, see Lemniscate (disambiguation).
The lemniscate of Bernoulli and its two foci

In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate (/lɛmˈnɪskɪt/ or /ˈlɛmnɪsˌkeɪt, -kɪt/)[1] is any of several figure-eight or ∞-shaped curves.[2][3] The word comes from the Latin lēmniscātus, meaning "decorated with ribbons",[4] from the Greek λημνίσκος (lēmnískos), meaning "ribbon",[3][5][6][7] or which alternatively may refer to the wool from which the ribbons were made.[2]

Curves that have been called a lemniscate include three quartic plane curves: the hippopede or lemniscate of Booth, the lemniscate of Bernoulli, and the lemniscate of Gerono. The hippopede was studied by Proclus (5th century), but the term "lemniscate" was not used until the work of Jacob Bernoulli in the late 17th century.

  1. ^ "lemniscate". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lemniscatomy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Erickson, Martin J. (2011), "1.1 Lemniscate", Beautiful Mathematics, MAA Spectrum, Mathematical Association of America, pp. 1–3, ISBN 9780883855768.
  4. ^ lemniscatus. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
  5. ^ Harper, Douglas. "lemniscus". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  6. ^ lemniscus. Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short. A Latin Dictionary on Perseus Project.
  7. ^ λημνίσκος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.