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Diocles was an Ancient Greek Mathematician who lived at around 200 BC in the city of Alexandria, Greece.
The idea of a burning mirror is one that will reflect the sun's rays to a point and thus cause burning. Before the time of Diocles it was thought that a spherical-shaped mirror would produce the desired effects, but Diocles proved that a parabolic mirror reflected the sun's rays to a point whereas a spherical mirror reflected the sun's rays to a line.
Thus a parabolic mirror would be preferred over a spherical mirror if one wishes to cause burning at a point.
Uses for a parabolic relfector include:
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