witch of Agnesi

[ ah-nyey-zee ]

noun

, Geometry.

1. a plane curve symmetrical about the y- axis and asymptotic to the x- axis, given by the equation x 2 y =4 a 2 (2 a − y ).

witch of Agnesi

/ ɑːnˈjeɪzɪ /

noun

1. maths a plane curve, symmetrical about the y- axis, having the equation x ² y = 4 a ²(2 a – y ) Sometimes shortened towitch

witch of Agnesi

/ wĭchəvän-yā′zē /

1. A planar cubic curve that is symmetric about the y -axis and that approaches the x -axis as an asymptote. Its equation is x ²y = 4 a ²(2 a − y ), where a is a constant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of witch of Agnesi¹

1870–75; named after Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718–99), Italian mathematician and philosopher

Word History and Origins

Origin of witch of Agnesi¹

C19: named after Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718–99), Italian mathematician and philosopher; probably so called from the resemblance of the curve to the outline of a witch's hat

Example Sentences

Witch of Agnesi hovers like an apparition above a still pool of water, where its varied forms are reflected and distorted.

From BBC

In it, she discusses the algebraic curve, now known as the witch of Agnesi.

From The Guardian

He would learn the city, the ignorance of which had resulted in his being hungry—he, a young man college-bred, and with some knowledge of Quintilian's crabbedness, or the equations of X and Y in this or that or the Witch of Agnesi.

From Project Gutenberg