Mathematica Notebook for This Page.
above: Pedal of a Cycloid.
Mathematica Notebook for This Page.
Sketchpad Files for this page:
radial ,
evolute ,
involute |
negative pedal ,
pedal |
caustic ,
parallel ,
inversion |
derivative ,
integral |
cissoid wrt a line ,
conchoid ,
strophoid
Cycloid (tautochrone, brachistochrone) is a member of cycloidal family of curves. (see Curve Family Index) Prolate (extended) or curtate (contracted) cycloids are also known as trochoids. In this page, we use the narrowest definition of the term cycloid, defined as the trace of a point on the circumsference of a circle rolling on a line without slipping.
In the right figure, c is the rolling circle. P is the tracing point. A is the point of contact with line. PA is the normal at P. E is a reflection of P through A. The locus of E is the evolute of the cycloid.
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Tracing a Cycloid. Tracing a Cycloid; by Tangent
cycloid.gcfThe catacaustic of a cycloid with respect to parallel rays coming beneath its arc are two smaller cycloids. (Or, the diacaustic of the cycloid with rays coming from above.)
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Catacaustic with Vertical Rays
The evolute of a cycloid is another cycloid. The first figure show succesive evolutes of a cycloid. The second connect points on the curve with their center of tangent circles.
cycloid_evolute.gcf
Constructing Evolute of a Cycloid;
The involute of a cycloid is also a cycloid.
cycloid_involute.gcf. Both evolute and involute properties are easily proved by a direct application of the formula and simplify the result.
The radial of a cycloid is a circle.
Generating Radial Radial of a Cycloid
See: Websites on Plane Curves, Printed References On Plane Curves.
Robert Yates: Curves and Their Properties.
The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive↗.
Wikipedia: Cycloid↗.
Alexander Bogomolny, with java applet. http://www.cut-the-knot.com/pythagoras/cycloids.html
Brombacher Aarnout, with GSP and QuickTime movies. http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/EMT668/EMT668.Student.Folders/BrombacherAarnout/EMT669/cycloids/cycloids.html
Dinoj Surendran. http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/3550/cycloid.htm
Joseph Portney. A somewhat detailed exposition on the property of cycloid being the curve of fastest decent. (called brachistochrone) http://www.navworld.com/navcerebrations/millennium/millennium.htm
© 1995-2008 by Xah Lee.
