Envelope of a Family of Curves
A one-parameter family of algebraic curves has an envelope line, which may be imaginary in certain cases. Jakob Steiner was right, considering the imaginary images as creation of analysis. In the analysis a real number is just a part of a complex number and in certain conditions the initial real values can give an imaginary result. But Steiner was wrong in denying the imaginary images in geometry. The geometry, in contrast to the single analytical space exists in several spaces: Euclidean geometry operates only on real figures valid and does not contain imaginary figures by definition; pseudo-Euclidean geometry operates on imaginary images and constructs their images, taking into account its own features. Geometric space is complex and each geometric object in it is the complex one, consisting of the real figure (core) having the "aura" of an imaginary extension. Thus, any analytical figure of the plane is present at every point of the plane or by its real part or by its imaginary extension. Would the figure’s imaginary extension be visible or not depends on the visualization method, whether the image has been assumed on superimposed epures – the Euclideanpseudo-Euclidean plane, or the image has been traditionally assumed only in the Euclidean plane. In this paper are discussed cases when a family of algebraic curves has an envelope, and is given an answer to a question what means cases of complete or partial absence of the envelope for the one-parameter family of curves. Casts some doubt on widely known categorical st