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dcmguy":1zw6b3ml said:
It's a fun subject for those who are so inclined! (I happen to have a degree in maths so quite enjoy thinking about it).
Agreed - it was my interest in the mathematics of Conic sections that started me thinking about how to turn Elliptical work.
dcmguy":1zw6b3ml said:
As for semantics between oval and ellipse ... my guess is that folk refer to oval as its a more readily understood concept than 'ellipse' ...the latter being typically defined by a mathematical equation ...and maths often has a habit of making folks fall asleep!
It's good to see that there is a reference to the correct nomenclature on the first page of the Volmer web-site.
dcmguy":1zw6b3ml said:
(by way of illustration of irrational ambition .. I have in mind a set of scaled nested oval bowls to try to represent the planetary orbits in our solar system...which..when reflected on... is non-trivial without excessive simplification!... maybe I'll develop the skills and creativity to do this nicely one day!)
Ah... we are obviously of a kindred spirit! - - - I'm in the process of building an Orrery so have done a lot of research on how to handle the scale. Only Mercury and Pluto (Ok dwarf-planet!) have a high enough eccentricity (M = 0.2056, P= 0.2553) to make any visible difference on a manageable model.

I'd now normally list the relative model sizes of the orbits but I can feel the reader nodding off ! :lol:
 
Hi J-G

Yeah..Volmer was no slouch... I think he was a professor ..but not 100% clear.

As for conic sections... diverting significantly from topic here ...but I've been quite interested in trying to apply the maths relating to the 2-dimensional effect of passing a notional hollow cone through a notional 2-D plane ... and then trying to extend everything by a dimension to form a mathematical framework for gravitational 'events' (such as 'big-bang" theory). No useful outcomes yet, funnily enough.

More prosaically, for a 'nested' solar orbital suite I was thinking of using natural logs to 'normalise' relative distance but also looking to define an outer bound as Halley's Comet ...very much a hybrid of definition and decorative opportunity!

Coming back on topic ... when you turn ellipses, may I ask which lathe (assuming not homemade) you use and where you stand (for the inner turning) relative to the bed?

cheers
 

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