Geometric modeling and study of properties of surfaces equidistant to two spheres

Abstract

The paper considers the geometric locus of points equidistant to two spheres of different diameters. If these spheres are concentric, the sought multitude constitutes a single surface – a sphere of diameter equal to arithmetic mean of the diameters of the given spheres. In other cases the geometric locus of points equidistant to two spheres of different diameters constitutes two surfaces. In case the spheres intersect, are tangent or distant to each other, the first of these surfaces is a two-sheet hyperboloid of revolution that degenerates into a plane in case the spheres are equal. In case the spheres intersect, the second of the surfaces is an ellipsoid of revolution that degenerates into a straight line if the spheres are tangent to each other. In the case of distant spheres, the second of the surfaces is a two-sheet hyperboloid of revolution. In case the spheres contain one another, the sough geometric locus constitutes two co-axial co-focused ellipsoids of revolution. The equations defining the mentioned surfaces are presented. The regularities in shape and location of these surfaces were studied; the formulas for the major and the minor axes of the ellipsoids and the vertices of the two-sheet hyperboloids of revolution were derived.