High-order parametric polynomial approximation of conic sections (Q359597)

In this interesting paper, the authors construct approximations to the ellipse and hyperbola using parametric polynomial equations. The approximations obtained are the best approximations satisfying \[ x_n(t)^2 \pm y_n(t)^2 = 1 + \varepsilon_n(t), \] where \(\varepsilon_n(t) = \pm t^{2n}\) and \(x_n(t)\), \(y_n(t)\) are polynomials of degree at most \(n\). The construction of the polynomials, while somewhat technical, uses little more than the factoring of polynomials over the complex numbers. An error estimate is derived which shows that the error decay is exponential and also improves upon the sharpness of previously known estimates. Some numerical examples are also provided.