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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

09-22-2021-1014 - tractrix

 tractrix (from the Latin verb trahere "pull, drag"; plural: tractrices) is the curve along which an object moves, under the influence of friction, when pulled on a horizontal plane by a line segment attached to a tractor (pulling) point that moves at a right angle to the initial line between the object and the puller at an infinitesimal speed. It is therefore a curve of pursuit. It was first introduced by Claude Perrault in 1670, and later studied by Isaac Newton (1676) and Christiaan Huygens (1693).[1]

Tractrix created by the end of a pole (lying flat on the ground). Its other end is first pushed then dragged by a finger as it spins out to one side.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tractrix

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