The geometry of burning mirrors in Greek antiquity. Analysis, heuristic, projections, lemmatic fragmentation (Q642092)

The author is interested in the proofs, assumptions, and the likely discovery method of several results in the geometry of burning mirrors, found in Diocles's \textit{On burning mirrors} and in an Arabic text ``of a certain Dtrūms,'' which is very likely the translation of a Greek text. The role of two propositions regarding the subtangent and the subnormal (if \(A\) is a point on a parabola, \(AH\) is the perpendicular from \(A\) to the axis of the parabola, \(AB\) (resp.\ \(AC\)) is the segment that joins \(A\) with the intersection of the tangent (respectively the perpendicular in \(A\) to that tangent) from \(A\) to the parabola with its axis, then \(BH\) is called \textit{subtangent} and \(HC\) \textit{subnormal}) ``the subtangent is bisected by the vertex of the parabola'', and ``the subnormal is constant'', known ``at least as early as Archimedes'', is singled out. \textit{W. Knorr}'s [Isis 74, No. 271, 53--73 (1983; Zbl 0547.01003)] supposition, that the focal property of the parabola was guessed (ascribing ``plain good luck'' to the discovery), is criticized, and the author offers an alternative interpretation relying on heuristic analysis.