Introduction

The use of coordinates to describe and analyze geometrical configurations has undoubtedly been one of the most pervasive and productive developments in the entire history of mathematics, science, and engineering. This seminal idea — from which the field of analytic geometry arose — was first systematically expounded by René Descartes in his 1637 treatise La Géométrie. The immense appeal of analytic geometry derives from its intuitive visual aspect; from its remarkable success in applying algebra and analysis to geometrical problems; and from the ubiquity of such problems in science and technology.