28/11/2017 Cissoid - Wikipedia

Cissoid
In geometry, a cissoid is a
curve generated from two given
curves C1, C2 and a point O (the
pole). Let L be a variable line
passing through O and
intersecting C1 at P1 and C2 at
P2. Let P be the point on L so
that OP = P1P2. (There are
actually two such points but P is
chosen so that P is in the same
direction from O as P2 is from
P1.) Then the locus of such
points P is defined to be the
cissoid of the curves C1, C2
relative to O.

Slightly different but essentially equivalent definitions are used by different authors. For example, P may be defined to
be the point so that OP = OP1 + OP2. This is equivalent to the other definition if C1 is replaced by its reflection through
O. Or P may be defined as the midpoint of P1 and P2; this produces the curve generated by the previous curve scaled by
a factor of 1/2.

The word "cissoid" comes from the Greek κισσοειδής kissoeidēs "ivy shaped" from κισσός kissos "ivy" and -οειδής -
oeidēs "having the likeness of".

Contents
1 Equations
2 Specific cases
2.1 Hyperbolas
2.2 Cissoids of Zahradnik
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Equations
If C1 and C2 are given in polar coordinates by and respectively, then the equation
describes the cissoid of C1 and C2 relative to the origin. However, because a point may be
represented in multiple ways in polar coordinates, there may be other branches of the cissoid which have a different
equation. Specifically, C1 is also given by

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So the cissoid is actually the union of the curves given by the equations

It can be determined on an individual basis depending on the periods of f1 and f2, which of these equations can be
eliminated due to duplication.

For example, let C1 and C2 both be the ellipse

The first branch of the cissoid is given by

which is simply the origin. The ellipse is also given by

, Ellipse in red, with

its two cissoid branches in black and
so a second branch of the cissoid is given by blue (origin)

which is an oval shaped curve.

If each C1 and C2 are given by the parametric equations

and

then the cissoid relative to the origin is given by

Specific cases
When C1 is a circle with center O then the cissoid is conchoid of C2.

When C1 and C2 are parallel lines then the cissoid is a third line parallel to the given lines.

Hyperbolas
Let C1 and C2 be two non-parallel lines and let O be the origin. Let the polar equations of C1 and C2 be

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and

By rotation through angle , we can assume that . Then the cissoid of C1 and C2 relative
to the origin is given by

Combining constants gives

which in Cartesian coordinates is

This is a hyperbola passing though the origin. So the cissoid of two non-parallel lines is a hyperbola containing the
pole. A similar derivation show that, conversely, any hyperbola is the cissoid of two non-parallel lines relative to any
point on it.

Cissoids of Zahradnik
A cissoid of Zahradnik (name after Karel Zahradnik) is defined as the cissoid of a conic section and a line relative to
any point on the conic. This is a broad family of rational cubic curves containing several well-known examples.
Specifically:

The Trisectrix of Maclaurin given by

is the cissoid of the circle and the line relative to the origin.

The right strophoid

is the cissoid of the circle and the line relative to the origin.

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The cissoid of Diocles

is the cissoid of the circle and the line relative to the origin.
This is, in fact, the curve for which the family is named and some authors refer to this as
simply as cissoid.

The cissoid of the circle and the line , where k is a parameter, is called a Conchoid
of de Sluze. (These curves are not actually concoids.) This family includes the previous examples.
The folium of Descartes

is the cissoid of the ellipse and the line relative

to the origin. To see this, note that the line can be written

and the ellipse can be written

So the cissoid is given by

which is a parametric form of the folium.

See also
Conchoid
Strophoid

References
J. Dennis Lawrence (1972). A catalog of special plane curves. Dover Publications. pp. 53–56. ISBN 0-486-60288-
5.
C. A. Nelson "Note on rational plane cubics" Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. Volume 32, Number 1 (1926), 71-76. (http://pr
ojecteuclid.org/euclid.bams/1183486856)

External links
Hazewinkel, Michiel, ed. (2001) [1994], "Cissoid" (https://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=p/c02234
0), Encyclopedia of Mathematics, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. / Kluwer Academic Publishers,
ISBN 978-1-55608-010-4
Weisstein, Eric W. "Cissoid" (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Cissoid.html). MathWorld.
2D Curves (http://2dcurves.com/derived/cissoid.html)

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