Abstract

SOLANILLA CH, Leonardo; TAMAYO A, Ana Celi  and  PAREJA O, Gabriel A. Lagrange's analog calculator for elliptic integrals. Rev. ing. univ. Medellín [online]. 2009, vol.8, n.15, suppl.1, pp.71-78. ISSN 1692-3324.

In this paper, we show that Lagrange's spherical model for elliptic integrals can be understood as an actual analog computer. In addition to proving the fundamental lemma establishing analogy, we provide examples which show a way to compute the amplitude of the addition (and subtraction) of two elliptic integrals. In our computer, these operations are performed by using a spherical compass and a spherical straightedge. We also discuss the pros and cons of our procedure. At the end, we draw some conclusions concerning the possibility of alternative hybrid numerical solutions to the elliptic amplitudes

Keywords : elliptic functions; elliptic integrals; spherical trigonometry; analog computers; geometric constructions.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )