noun
- a curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls on the inside of a fixed circle
Usage: geometry; mathematics
Examples
- The hypocycloid is a special case of a hypotrochoid.
- Students in advanced geometry learn to construct a hypocycloid using compass and straightedge.
- The four-cusped hypocycloid is also known as an astroid.
- Computer graphics programs can generate hypocycloids with various parameters.
- The hypocycloid’s shape depends on the ratio of the radii of the two circles.
- Engineers sometimes encounter hypocycloid curves in mechanical design applications.