cassinian oval

1 definition found

cassinian oval - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Oval \O"val\, n.
     A body or figure in the shape of an egg, or popularly, of an
     ellipse.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Cassinian oval (Geom.), the locus of a point the product of
        whose distances from two fixed points is constant; -- so
        called from Cassini, who first investigated the curve.
        Thus, in the diagram, if P moves so that P A.P B is
        constant, the point P describes a Cassinian oval. The
        locus may consist of a single closed line, as shown by the
        dotted line, or of two equal ovals about the points A and
        B.
        [1913 Webster]
        [1913 Webster] Ovalbumin