Locus

There are many other interesting loci, for example the cycloid.

Figure 2. Illustration by Hans & Cassidy. Courtesy of Gale Group.

Figure 3. Illustration by Hans & Cassidy. Courtesy of Gale Group.

The cycloid is the locus of a point on a circle as the circle rolls in a straight line along a flat surface. The cycloid is the path that a falling body takes on a windy day in order to reach the ground in the shortest possible time. Some interesting loci can be described by using the moving point definition of locus. For example, consider this simple mechanism. (Figure 3.)

It has a pencil at point A, pivots at points B and C and point D is able to slide toward and away from point C. When point D slides back and forth, the pencil moves up and down drawing a line perpendicular to the base (a line through C and D). More complicated devices are capable of tracing figures while simultaneously enlarging or reducing them.