On Funk's parabolas

Abstract

This study aims to analyze parabolas in the two dimensional unit disk equipped with a Funk metric. The analysis leads to four types of parabolas are obtained, due to the non-reversibility of the Funk metric. Each one with applications to physics in the Zermelo navigation problem. In addition, we identify that two of the four parabolas obtained are in well known Euclidian conics, and the remaining two are characterized by irreducible quartics.

Keywords

• Finsler metric
• Funk metric
• navigation problem
• Funk's parabolas