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Devil's curve

Algebraic plane curve From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Devil's curve
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In geometry, a Devil's curve, also known as the Devil on Two Sticks, is a curve defined in the Cartesian plane by an equation of the form[1]

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Devil's curve for a = 0.8 and b = 1.
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Devil's curve with ranging from 0 to 1 and b = 1 (with the curve colour going from blue to red).

The polar equation of this curve is of the form

Devil's curves were discovered in 1750 by Gabriel Cramer, who studied them extensively.[2]

The name comes from the shape its central lemniscate takes when graphed. The shape is named after the juggling game diabolo, which was named after the Devil[3] and which involves two sticks, a string, and a spinning prop in the likeness of the lemniscate.[4]

For , the central lemniscate, often called hourglass, is horizontal. For it is vertical. If , the shape becomes a circle. The vertical hourglass intersects the y-axis at . The horizontal hourglass intersects the x-axis at .

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Electric Motor Curve

A special case of the Devil's curve occurs at , where the curve is called the electric motor curve.[5] It is defined by an equation of the form

The name of the special case comes from the middle shape's resemblance to the coils of wire, which rotate from forces exerted by magnets surrounding it.

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References

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