3D geodesics on convex quadrics for surface ray propagation. A Turbo BASIC package for computer-aided instruction

A computer package has been developed to demonstrate the various types of geodesics on developable as well as nondevelopable quadrics, with particular application to high-frequency electromagnetic analysis. This user-friendly package, developed in Turbo BASIC, allows the user to simulate the various possible geodesics between any two points located on a convex surface. The authors describe the geodesic constant method, where all the surface ray geometric parameters required in the high-frequency calculations are expressed explicitly in terms of the first geodesic constant h. This analysis uses a general geodesic coordinate system and is applicable to a wide class of quadrics and nonquadric surfaces.<>