ROLLERCOASTER

[Year 2018-2019]

Surnames and first names of students, grades:
School: National College „Costache Negruzzi” Iasi
Teacher: PhD. Capraru Irina
Researcher: University Lector PhD. Stoleriu Iulian, Faculty of Mathematics,
University „Al. I. Cuza” Iasi
Hanus Ioana-Stefana, 10th grade
Stoica Tedy, 10th grade
Luca Stefan, 10th grade
Tamas Luca-Stefan, 10th grade
Dascalu Cezar Stefan, 10th grade
Costincianu Diana-Isabela, 10th grade

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 [Presentation of the research topic]
A disc with diameter d rolls on a disc with diameter D (0<d<D) without slipping until it
reaches its original position.

a) How many times will the small disc rotate until it makes a complete revolution
around the disc with the diameter D? What is the distance travelled by the center of
the small disc in this case?

b) Assume that, in the initial position, the point A is the common tangent point. What
is the minimum number of rotations that the small disc will make around its center
until A becomes a common tangent point again? What is the distance travelled by
the center of the small disc in this case?

c) Respond to points (a) and (b) if the disc with the diameter d rolls: on an equilateral
triangle with sides of length L (L=D) or on a square with sides of length L or on a
regular hexagon with sides of length L.

d) Reset the requirements of the previous paragraphs to: the disc with the diameter d
rolls without slipping inside a circle with the diameter D or inside an equilateral
triangle with sides of length L or inside a square with sides of length L or inside a
hexagon with sides of length L.

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 [Brief presentation of the conjectures and results obtained]
We split the project into 4 parts:

• The Circle
• The Triangle
• The Square
• The Hexagon

We will have these notations:

• D = the diameter of the large circle;

• d = the diameter of the small circle;
• R = the radius of the large circle;
• r = the radius of the small circle;
• L = the length of the big circle;
• l = the length of the small circle;
• Lcenter = the length of the circle formed by the center of the small circle during the
rotation around the large circle;
• nrotations = the number of rotations that the small circle makes around the big circle;
• Ltotal = the total length traveled by the center of the small circle after finishing nrotations.

The Circle

Point a)

How many times will the small disc rotate until it makes a complete revolution around
the disc with the diameter D? What is the distance travelled by the center of the small
disc in this case?

We know that the length of a circle is equal to:

𝐿 = 2𝜋𝑅

𝑙 = 2𝜋𝑟

And we also know that:

𝐷 = 2𝑅

𝑑 = 2𝑟

The number of rotations made by the small circle around the large circle will be equal to
the ratio:

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 𝐿 2𝜋𝑅 𝜋𝐷 𝐷
= = =
𝑙 2𝜋𝑟 𝜋𝑑 𝑑

But it also makes one rotation around its axis. So the final answer is:

𝐷
𝑛𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = +1
𝑑

The radius of the circle created by the center of the small circle as it rotates around the
large circle will be equal to:

𝐷 𝑑 𝐷+𝑑
𝑅′ = 𝑅 + 𝑟 = + =
2 2 2

So the length of the trajectory formed by the center of the small circle is equal to:

2𝜋(𝑑 + 𝐷)
𝐿𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 2𝜋𝑅′ = = 𝜋(𝐷 + 𝑑)
2
𝐷
This formula applies even when D is not a multiple of d, or when is not rational.
𝑑

Point b)

Assume that, in the initial position, the point A is the common tangent point. What is the
minimum number of rotations that the small disc will make around its center until A
becomes a common tangent point again? What is the distance travelled by the center of
the small disc in this case?

Here we have 2 cases:

𝐷
• The ratio is rational;
𝑑
𝐷
• The ratio is irrational.
𝑑

𝐷
If is not an integer, then we can define x and y, where x and y are coprime:
𝑑

𝐷 𝑥
=
𝑑 𝑦

So, the final result is going to be:

𝑛𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = 𝑥 + 𝑦
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Then, the length of the path made by the center of the rolling circle is:

𝜋(𝐷 + 𝑑)
𝐿𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = ,
(𝐷, 𝑑)

where (𝐷, 𝑑) is equal to the greatest common divisor between D and d.

In this case, we cannot say that we can find two numbers, x and y that are coprime such
𝐷 𝑥
that = .
𝑑 𝑦

Thus, we cannot say that the circle goes back to the original position.

So the trajectory of the original point will not be a closed curve.

Point c)

Reset the requirements of the previous paragraphs to: the disc with the radius d rolls
without slipping inside a circle with the radius D.

The number of rotations made by the small circle inside the large circle will be equal to
the fraction:

𝐿 2𝜋𝑅 𝜋𝐷 𝐷
= = =
𝑙 2𝜋𝑟 𝜋𝑑 𝑑

This time, the circle does not make another rotation around its axis.

The radius of the circle created by the center of the small circle as it rotates around the
large circle will be equal to:

𝐷 𝑑 𝐷−𝑑
𝑅′ = 𝑅 − 𝑟 = − =
2 2 2
So the length of the trajectory formed by the center of the small circle is equal to:

2𝜋(𝐷 − 𝑑)
𝐿𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 2𝐴 = 2𝜋𝑅′ = = 𝜋(𝐷 − 𝑑)
2
𝐷
This formula applies even when is irrational, or when D is not a multiple of d.
𝑑

𝐷
We can define the ratio with x and y, where x and y are coprime:
𝑑

𝐷 𝑥
=
𝑑 𝑦

So, the final result is going to be:

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 𝑛𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = 𝑥 − 𝑦

Then, the length of the path made by the circle is:

𝜋(𝐷 − 𝑑)
𝐿𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 =
(𝐷, 𝑑)

The Triangle

Point a)

How many times will the small disc rotate until it makes a complete revolution around the
perimeter of triangle with sides of length L? What is the distance travelled by the center
of the small disc in this case?

When the circle moves on a flat surface, the distance made by the center of the small
circle is equal to the distance of the surface.

The problem is how far does the center of the circle go if it passes through the corner of
one of the three figures.

Thus, by plotting what is happening, we deduced the following:

From the figure, we noticed that the distance travelled by the center of the circle at an
angle is equal to:

2𝜋𝑟(𝜋−∝)
𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = = 𝑟(𝜋−∝)
2𝜋

Applying this formula, we obtain:

𝜋 𝑑 2𝜋
𝐿𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 3𝐿 + 3 ∗ 𝑟 (𝜋 − ) = 3𝐿 + ∗ ∗ 3 = 3𝐿 + 𝑑𝜋
3 2 3

Which is equal to the perimeter of the triangle plus the length of the circle.

Point b)

Assume that in the initial position, point A on the small disc is the common tangent point.
What is the minimum number of rotations that the small disc will make around its center
until A becomes again a common tangent point? What is the distance traveled by the
center of the small disc in this case?

From the circle’s point (b), we know that the minimum number of rotations that the circle
has to do on the surface to return to the same tangent point is equal to x + y , where:

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 𝐿 𝑥
=
𝑟 𝑦

So, from this we deduced that L should be equal to 𝜋𝑥, where 𝑥 is a rational number,
𝐿
because if this is not true, the fraction is irrational.
𝑟

Point c)

Reset the requirements of the previous paragraphs to: the disc with the radius d rolls without
slipping inside a triangle with sides of length L .

We noticed that the distance lost by the trajectory of the center of the small circle at an
angle is equal to:

𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 𝑟 ∗ 𝑐𝑡𝑔 30° = 𝑟√3

Applying this formula, we obtain:

𝐿𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 3𝐿 − 6√3𝑟

We noticed that the distance lost by the circle in any angle is:

180°−∝
𝐿𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 𝑑𝜋
360°

Because the sum of all angles in a triangle are 180° , the total distance lost is:

360°
𝐿𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑑𝜋 = 𝑑𝜋
360°

So, the total distance made by the small circle inside the triangle is:

𝐿𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑙𝑒 = 3𝐷 − 𝑑𝜋

If the perimeter of the triangle is not a multiple of 𝜋, then the circle does not come back to
its original position.

Else, we can define x and y like this, where x and y are coprime:

3𝐿 𝑥
=
𝑑𝜋 𝑦

So, the final result is going to be:

𝑛𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = 𝑥 − 𝑦

Then, the length of the path made by the circle is:

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 3𝐿 − 𝜋𝑑
𝐿𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 =
𝐿
( , 𝑑) 𝜋
𝜋

The Square
Point a)

How many times will the small disc rotate until it makes a complete revolution around the
perimeter of a square with sides of length L ? What is the distance travelled by the center
of the small disc in this case?

Applying the formula from the triangle’s point (a), we obtain the following:
𝜋 𝑑 2𝜋
𝐿𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 4𝐿 + 𝑟 (𝜋 − ) ∗ 4 = 4𝐷 + ∗ ∗ 4 = 4𝐷 + 𝑑𝜋
3 2 3

Point b)

Assume that, in the initial position, point A on the small disc is the common tangent point.
What is the minimum number of rotations that the small disc will make around its center
until A becomes again a common tangent point? What is the distance traveled by the
center of the small disc in this case?

From the circle’s point (b), we know that the minimum number of rotations that the circle
has to do on the surface to return to the same tangent point is equal to x + y , where:

𝐿 𝑥
=
𝑟 𝑦

So, from this we deduce that L should be equal to 𝜋𝑥, where 𝑥 is a rational number,
𝐿
because if this is not true, the fraction is irrational.
𝑟

Point c)

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