Detecting Symmetries of Rational Plane and Space Curves

This paper addresses the problem of determining the symmetries of a plane or space curve defined by a rational parametrization. We provide effective methods to compute the involution and rotation symmetries for the planar case. As for space curves, our method finds the involutions in all cases, and all the rotation symmetries in the particular case of Pythagorean-hodograph curves. Our algorithms solve these problems without converting to implicit form. Instead, we make use of a relationship between two proper parametrizations of the same curve, which leads to algorithms that involve only univariate polynomials. These algorithms have been implemented and tested in the Sage system.Comment: 19 page

An algebraic taxonomy for locus computation in dynamic geometry

The automatic determination of geometric loci is an important issue in Dynamic Geometry. In Dynamic Geometry systems, it is often the case that locus determination is purely graphical, producing an output that is not robust enough and not reusable by the given software. Parts of the true locus may be missing, and extraneous objects can be appended to it as side products of the locus determination process. In this paper, we propose a new method for the computation, in dynamic geometry, of a locus defined by algebraic conditions. It provides an analytic, exact description of the sought locus, making possible a subsequent precise manipulation of this object by the system. Moreover, a complete taxonomy, cataloging the potentially different kinds of geometric objects arising from the locus computation procedure, is introduced, allowing to easily discriminate these objects as either extraneous or as pertaining to the sought locus. Our technique takes profit of the recently developed GröbnerCover algorithm. The taxonomy introduced can be generalized to higher dimensions, but we focus on 2-dimensional loci for classical reasons. The proposed method is illustrated through a web-based application prototype, showing that it has reached enough maturity as to be considered a practical option to be included in the next generation of dynamic geometry environments

Automatic Deduction in (Dynamic) Geometry: Loci Computation

A symbolic tool based on open source software that provides robust algebraic methods to handle automatic deduction tasks for a dynamic geometry construction is presented. The prototype has been developed as two different worksheets for the open source computer algebra system Sage, corresponding to two different ways of coding a geometric construction, namely with the open source dynamic geometry system GeoGebra or using the common file format for dynamic geometry developed by the Intergeo project. Locus computation algorithms based on Automatic Deduction techniques are recalled and presented as basic for an efficient treatment of advanced methods in dynamic geometry. Moreover, an algorithm to eliminate extraneous parts in symbolically computed loci is discussed. The algorithm, based on a recent work on the Gröbner cover of parametric systems, identifies degenerate components and extraneous adherence points in loci, both natural byproducts of general polynomial algebraic methods. Several examples are shown in detail

Recognition of Computationally Constructed Loci

We propose an algorithm for automated recognition of computationally constructed curves and discuss several aspects of the recognition problem. Recognizing loci means determining a single implicit polynomial equation and geometric invariants, characterizing an algebraic curve which is given by a discrete set of sample points. Starting with these discrete samples, arising for example from a geometric ruler and compass construction, an eigenvalue analysis of a matrix derived from the data leads to proposed curve parameters. Utilizing the construction itself, with its free and dependent geometric elements, further specifications of the type of constructed curves under genericity assumptions are made. This is done by a second eigenvalue analysis of parameters of several generically generated curves