In geometry, an epitrochoid ( or ) is a roulette traced by a point attached to a circle of radius rolling around the outside of a fixed circle of radius , where the point is at a distance from the center of the exterior circle.
The parametric equations for an epitrochoid are:
The parameter is geometrically the polar angle of the center of the exterior circle. (However, is not the polar angle of the point on the epitrochoid.)
Special cases include the limaçon with and the epicycloid with .
The classic Spirograph toy traces out epitrochoid and hypotrochoid curves.
The paths of planets in the once popular geocentric system of deferents and epicycles are epitrochoids with for both the outer planets and the inner planets.
The orbit of the Moon, when centered around the Sun, is approximated by an epitrochoid.
The combustion chamber of the Wankel engine is an epitrochoid.
See also Cycloid Cyclogon Epicycloid Hypocycloid Hypotrochoid Spirograph List of periodic functions Rosetta (orbit) Apsidal precession
References
External links Epitrochoid generator
Visual Dictionary of Special Plane Curves on Xah Lee 李杀网 Interactive simulation of the geocentric graphical representation of planet paths
Plot Epitrochoid -- GeoFun
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