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Epicycloid
01
a curve created by tracing the path of a point on a small rolling circle as it revolves around the edge of a larger circle
Example
Mathematicians study epicycloids as a subclass of roulettes arising from the roll and trace combinations of circular motions.
Planetary astronomers once thought the apparent motions of Mars could be explained by a combination of deferents and epicycloids modeled after circular trajectories.
When the center of the epicycle moves along the circumference of the deferent, the resulting path of a point on the epicycle is known as an epicycloid.
