7/13/2020 Evolute and Involute

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Let a plane curve γ be given by the natural equation

r = r (s) ,

where
This the parameter
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length of the curve.
We'll Suppose
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you can
curvature of the curve is not zero: K (s) ≠ 0. Then at any point M we can define a finite 
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radius of curvature:

1
R = R (s) = .
K (s)

On the normal n we draw the segment MC equal to the radius of curvature R (s) at the point
M (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

The point C is called the center of curvature of the curve γ at point M .

If the radius vector of the center of curvature is denoted by ρ, then

ρ = OM + MC = r + Rn.

The normal vector n is determined by the expression

2 2
1 dτ 1 d r d r
n = = = R ,
2 2
K ds K ds ds
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where τ is the unit tangent vector. Consequently, the position of the center of curvature
corresponding to the point M is described by the formula

2
d r
2
ρ = r + Rn = r + R .
2
ds

For each point of the curve (assuming K ≠ 0 ), we can find the center of curvature. The set of
all centers of curvature of the curve γ is called the evolute of the curve.

If the curve γ is the evolute of the curve γ, then the initial curve γ is called the involute of the
1

curve γ 1.

We denote the center of curvature by the point C with coordinates (ξ, η) . If the curve γ is
given in parametric form

x = x (t) , y = y (t) , α ≤ t ≤ β,

the coordinates of the center of curvature (ξ, η) are calculated according to formulas

′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2
(x ) + (y ) (x ) + (y )
′ ′
ξ = x − y , η = y + x .
′ ′′ ′′ ′ ′ ′′ ′′ ′
x y − x y x y − x y

These formulas follow from the expression for the radius vector ρ.

If the curve γ is the graph of a function y = f (x) , the coordinates of the center of curvature
are expressed in the form

′ 2 ′ 2
1 + (y ) 1 + (y )
′
ξ = x − y , η = y + .
′′ ′′
y y

Note that the condition of non-zero curvature at all points of the curve is rigid enough. As a
result, certain curves, for example, with inflection points are excluded from analysis.
Therefore, sometimes a more general case of arbitrary curvature is considered. If the
curvature at a point is zero, the evolute at this point has a discontinuity. Such case is shown
schematically
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Figure 2.

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Solved Problems
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Example 1
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the circle
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2 2 2
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x + y = R .

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7/13/2020 Evolute and Involute

Example 2
Find the evolute of the ellipse

2 2
x y
+ = 1.
2 2
a b

Example 3
Find the evolute of the parabola y 2
= x .

Example 4
Find the evolute of the logarithmic spiral r = e .
θ

Example 5
Determine the evolute of the cycloid

x = t − sin t, y = 1 − cos t.

Example 6
Prove that the curve given by the equations

x = R (cos t + t sin t) ,

y = R (sin t − t cos t)

is the involute of the circle of radius R centered at the origin.

Example 7
1
Find an equation of the evolute of the hyperbola y =
x
.

Example 1.
Determine
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x
2
+ y
2
= R .
2
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7/13/2020 Evolute and Involute

Solution.
Write the equation of the circle in parametric form:

x = R cos t, y = R sin t.

Find the derivatives of x and y with respect to the parameter t :

′ ′ ′ ′
x = (R cos t) = −R sin t, y = (R sin t) = R cos t,

′′ ′ ′′ ′
x = (−R sin t) = −R cos t, y = (R cos t) = −R sin t.

The coordinates of the center of curvature (ξ, η) are calculated by the formulas

′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2
(x ) + (y ) (x ) + (y )
′ ′
ξ = x − y , η = y + x .
′ ′′ ′′ ′ ′ ′′ ′′ ′
x y − x y x y − x y

Substituting the expressions for the coordinates x, y and their derivatives into this formula,
we find

′ 2 ′ 2 2 2 2 2
(x ) + (y ) R sin t + R cos t
′
ξ = x − y = R cos t − R cos t⋅
′ ′′ ′′ ′
x y − x y 2 2 2 2
R sin t + R cos t

= R cos t − R cos t ≡ 0;

′ 2 ′ 2 2 2 2 2
(x ) + (y ) R sin t + R cos t
′
η = y + x = R sin t − R sin t ⋅ = R sin t − R sin t ≡ 0.
′ ′′ ′′ ′
x y − x y 2 2 2 2
R sin t + R cos t

Thus, we have a trivial result: the evolute of the circle is only one single point – the center of
the circle.

Example 2.
Find the evolute of the ellipse
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x
+
y
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b
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Solution.
Write the equation of the ellipse in parametric form:

x = a cos t, y = b sin t.

The derivatives of x and y with respect to t are written as

′ ′ ′ ′
x = (a cos t) = −a sin t, y = (b sin t) = b cos t,

′′ ′ ′′ ′
x = (−a sin t) = −a cos t, y = (b cos t) = −b sin t.

To calculate the coordinates of the center of curvature (ξ, η) , we use the formulas:

′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2 ′ 2
(x ) + (y ) (x ) + (y )
′ ′
ξ = x − y , η = y + x .
′ ′′ ′′ ′ ′ ′′ ′′ ′
x y − x y x y − x y

Substituting the expressions for x, y and their derivatives, we obtain:

′ 2 ′ 2 2
2 2 2
(x ) + (y ) a sin t + b cos t
′
ξ = x − y = a cos t − b cos t ⋅
′ ′′ ′′ ′ 2
x y − x y ab sin t + ab cos t
2

2 2 2 2
a sin t + b cos t
= a cos t − cos t ⋅
a

2 2 2 2 3
2 2 2 3
a cos t − a sin t cos t − b cos t a cos t (1 − sin t) − b cos t
= =
a a
2 2
1 a − b
2 3 2 3 3
= (a cos t − b cos t) = cos t;
a a

′ 2 ′ 2 2
2 2 2
(x ) + (y ) a sin t + b cos t
′
η = y + x = b sin t − a sin t ⋅
′ ′′ ′′ ′ 2
x y − x y ab sin t + ab cos t
2

2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2
a sin t + b cos t b sin t − a sin t − b cos t sin t
= b sin t − sin t ⋅ =
b b

2 2 2 3
2 2
b sin t (1 − cos t) − a sin t 1 b − a
2 3 2 3 3
= = (b sin t − a sin t) = sin t.
b b b

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2 2 2 2 2 2
a − b b b − a a
3 3 3 3
ξ = cos t = (a − ) cos t, η = sin t = (b − ) sin t.
a a b b

Eliminating the parameter t, we can write the equation of the evolute in implicit form:

2 2
a − b aξ
3 2 2 3 3
ξ = cos t, ⇒ aξ = (a − b ) cos t, ⇒ = cos t,
2 2
a a − b
2

3
(aξ)
2
⇒ = cos t;
2

2 2 3
(a − b )

2 2
b − a bη
3 2 2 3 3
η = sin t, ⇒ bη = (b − a ) sin t, ⇒ = sin t,
2 2
b [− (a − b )]

3
(bη)
2
⇒ = sin t.
2

2 2 3
(a − b )

Adding the squares of the cosine and sine, we get

2 2

3 3 2 2 2
(aξ) (bη)
2 2 3
3 3
+ = 1, ⇒ (aξ) + (bη) = (a − b ) .
2 2

2 2 3 2 2 3
(a − b ) (a − b )

We denote aξ = X, bη = Y , a
2
− b
2
= A. Then the equation of the evolute may be
represented as

2 2 2

3 3 3
X + Y = A .

As can be seen, the evolute of the ellipse is a curve, which is quite similar to the astroid. In
contrast to the “right” astroid, the given curve is elongated along one axis (Figure 3).

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Figure 3.

Example 3.
Find the evolute of the parabola y = x .
2

Solution.
For a curve given by an explicit equation, the coordinates of the center of curvature are
determined by the formulas

′ 2 ′ 2
1 + (y ) 1 + (y )
′
ξ = x − y , η = y + .
′′ ′′
y y

Substituting the given function, we get:

′ 2 2
1 + (y ) 1 + (2x)
′ 2 3
ξ = x − y = x − ⋅ 2x = x − x (1 + 4x ) = −4x ;
′′
y 2

′ 2 2
2
1 + (y ) 1 + (2x) 1 + 4x 1
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Eliminating the variable x from these expressions, we represent the equation of the evolute
as a function ξ (η) . This yields:

2
1 1 η 1 η 1
2 2 2
η = 3x + , ⇒ η − = 3x , ⇒ x = − , ⇒ x = ±( − ) .
2 2 3 6 3 6

Hence,

1 3 3

⎡ η 1 2 ⎤ η 1 2
3
ξ = −4x = −4 ⋅ ±( − ) = ±4( − ) ,
⎣ 3 6 ⎦ 3 6

1
where η ≥ .
2

The parabola and its evolute are sketched in Figure 4.

Figure 4.

The evolute found above is shaped like a dovetail and its equation is a semicubic parabola.
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Problems 1-3 Problems 4-7

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