Circles within Circles explores the motion of hypotrochoids: curves traced by a fixed point on a circle rolling inside a fixed circle. From a straight line to a never-ending curve, hypotrochoids can take many unexpected forms. This project investigates how the size of the circles and the distance of the fixed point create systems of visual variation in the resulting curves.
a | radius of large circle | |
b | radius of small circle | |
P | fixed point on small circle | |
h | distance of fixed point from center of small circle |