Reminescences

Helen of geometers aka cycloid

Franka Miriam Brückler orcid.org/0000-0002-8410-0476 ; Matematički odsjek, Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu *

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

In this article, we describe the main moments in the history of the cycloid which earned her the nickname Helen of geometry. We concentrate on the 17th century, in which all its main properties were derived from the definition of the cycloid. This curve captured the interest of many famous mathematicians, and by investigating its properties they paved the way for the modern infinitesimal calculus

Keywords

cycloid, history of calculus, tautochrone, brachistochrone, Galileo Galilei, Gilles Personne de Roberval, Evangelista Torricelli, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Christiaan Huygens, Johann Bernoulli

Hrčak ID:

322083

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/322083

Publication date:

19.7.2024.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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