Olaus Magnus Friedrich Henrici, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica (1911)
“ Imaginary Elements-If a line cuts a curve and if the line be moved, turned for instance about a point in it, it may happen that two of the points of intersection approach each other till they coincide. The line then becomes a tangent. If the line is still further moved in the same manner it separates from the curve and two points of intersection are lost. Thus in considering the relation of a line to a conic we have to distinguish three cases-the line cuts the conic in two points, touches it, or has no point in common with it. ”
