Epicycloid

In geometry, an epicycloid is a plane curve produced by tracing

the path of a chosen point on the circumference of a circle—called
an epicycle—which rolls without slipping around a fixed circle. It is
a particular kind of roulette.

The red curve is an epicycloid traced as the small circle (radius r = 1) rolls around the outside of the large circle (radius R = 3).

Equations
If the smaller circle has radius r, and the larger circle has radius
R = kr, then the parametric equations for the curve can be given
by either:

or:

in a more concise and complex form[1]

where

angle θ is in turns:  

smaller circle has radius r

 the larger circle has radius kr

Area
(Assuming the initial point lies on the larger circle.) When k is a
positive integer, the area of this epicycloid is

It means that the epicycloid is larger than the

 

original stationary circle.

If k is a positive integer, then the curve is closed, and has k cusps

(i.e., sharp corners).

If k is a rational number, say k = p / q expressed as irreducible

fraction, then the curve has p cusps.

To close the curve and

complete the 1st repeating pattern :

θ = 0 to q rotations

α = 0 to p rotations

total rotations of outer rolling circle = p + q rotations

Count the animation rotations to see p and q

If k is an irrational number, then the curve never closes, and forms

a dense subset of the space between the larger circle and a circle
of radius R + 2r.

The distance OP from (x = 0, y = 0) origin to (the point p on the

small circle) varies up and down as

where

R = radius of large circle and

2r = diameter of small circle
Epicycloid examples
  

k = 1; a cardioid

k = 2; a nephroid

k = 3; a trefoiloid
  

k = 4; a quatrefoiloid

k = 2.1 = 21/10

k = 3.8 = 19/5
  

k = 5.5 = 11/2

k = 7.2 = 36/5

The epicycloid is a special kind of epitrochoid.

An epicycle with one cusp is a cardioid, two cusps is a nephroid.

An epicycloid and its evolute are similar.[2]

Proof
 

sketch for proof

We assume that the position of   is what we want to solve,   is

the angle from the tangential point to the moving point   , and   is
the angle from the starting point to the tangential point.

Since there is no sliding between the two cycles, then we have

that

 
By the definition of angle (which is the rate arc over radius), then
we have that

 
and

  .

From these two conditions, we get the identity

   .

By calculating, we get the relation between   and   , which is

.
 

From the figure, we see the position of the point   on the small
circle clearly.

See also

Animated gif with turtle in MSWLogo (Cardioid)[3]

List of periodic functions

 Cycloid
Cyclogon
Deferent and epicycle
Epicyclic gearing
Epitrochoid
Hypocycloid
Hypotrochoid
Multibrot set
Roulette (curve)
Spirograph

References
J. Dennis Lawrence (1972). A catalog of special plane curves (ht
tps://archive.org/details/catalogofspecial00lawr/page/161) .
Dover Publications. pp. 161, 168–170, 175 (https://archive.org/
details/catalogofspecial00lawr/page/161) . ISBN 978-0-486-
60288-2.
1. Epicycloids and Blaschke products by Chunlei Cao, Alastair
Fletcher, Zhuan Ye (https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.06539)
2. Epicycloid Evolute - from Wolfram MathWorld (http://mathworl
d.wolfram.com/EpicycloidEvolute.html)
 3. Pietrocola, Giorgio (2005). "Tartapelago" (http://www.maecla.i
t/tartapelago.htm) . Maecla.

External links
Weisstein, Eric W. "Epicycloid" (https://mathworld.wolfram.com/
Epicycloid.html) . MathWorld.
"Epicycloid (http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/Epicycloid/) "
by Michael Ford, The Wolfram Demonstrations Project, 2007
O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Epicycloid" (https://m
athshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Curves/Epicycloid.html) ,
MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St
Andrews
Animation of Epicycloids, Pericycloids and Hypocycloids (http://
www.v-jaekel.de/animate-trochoid-en.html)
Spirograph -- GeoFun (http://sourceforge.net/p/geofun/wiki/Ho
me/)
Historical note on the application of the epicycloid to the form
of Gear Teeth (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12
045-013-0106-3/)

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