Cycloid

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cycloid \Cy"cloid\ (s?"kloid), n. [Cyclo- + -oid: cf. F.
     cyclo["i]de.] (Geom.)
     A curve generated by a point in the plane of a circle when
     the circle is rolled along a straight line, keeping always in
     the same plane.
     [1913 Webster]


  
     Note: The common cycloid is the curve described when the
           generating point (p) is on the circumference of the
           generating circle; the curtate cycloid, when that point
           lies without the circumference; the prolate or
           inflected cycloid, when the generating point (p) lies
           within that circumference.
           [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cycloid \Cy"cloid\, a. (Zool.)
     Of or pertaining to the Cycloidei.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Cycloid scale} (Zool.), a fish scale which is thin and shows
        concentric lines of growth, without serrations on the
        margin.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cycloid \Cy"cloid\, n. (Zool.)
     One of the Cycloidei.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Brachystochrone \Bra*chys"to*chrone\, n. [Incorrect for
     brachistochrone, fr. Gr. bra`chistos shortest (superl. of
     brachy`s short) + ? time : cf. F. brachistochrone. ] (Math.)
     A curve, in which a body, starting from a given point, and
     descending solely by the force of gravity, will reach another
     given point in a shorter time than it could by any other
     path. This curve of quickest descent, as it is sometimes
     called, is, in a vacuum, the same as the {cycloid}.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cycloid
       adj : resembling a circle [syn: {cycloidal}]
       n : a line generated by a point on a circle rolling along a
           straight line