It has been called The Helen of Geometers, because it often caused quarrels among 17th century mathematicians.
It has been called The Helen of Geometers, because it often caused quarrels among 17th century mathematicians. First studied by Nicholas of Cusa and named by Galileo, it is an example of a roulette curve. It is related to the epitrochoid and hypotrochoid curves, which can be constructed using a Spirograph toy. The solution to both the (*) tautochrone and brachistochrone problems, its area is 3 times that of the generating circle, and its length is 4 times the diameter of the generating circle. FTP, name this curve traced by a fixed point on the edge of a circle rolling along a straight line.
It has been called The Helen of Geometers, because it often caused quarrels among 17th century mathematicians.
{cycloid}