Common tangents to spheres in R^3

DOI10.1007/S00454-005-1230-YMaRDI QIDQ818699zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Xavier Goaoc, Sylvain Lazard, Sylvain Petitjean, Ciprian S. Borcea

Publication date 21 March 2006

Published in Discrete \& Computational Geometry (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0402394

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Computer graphics; computational geometry (digital and algorithmic aspects) (68U05) Surfaces in Euclidean and related spaces (53A05)

Abstract: We study the variety of common tangents for up to four quadric surfaces in projective three-space, with particular regard to configurations of four quadrics admitting a continuum of common tangents. We formulate geometrical conditions in the projective space defined by all complex quadric surfaces which express the fact that several quadrics are tangent along a curve to one and the same quadric of rank at least three, and called, for intuitive reasons: a basket. Lines in any ruling of the latter will be common tangents. These considerations are then restricted to spheres in Euclidean three-space, and result in a complete answer to the question over the reals: ``When do four spheres allow infinitely many common tangents?.

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