On what kind of surface would a square wheel function the same as a round wheel?

OK

I was finally curious enough to search for the answer on the web. It turns out that the road is not based on the cycloid, but on the catenary (or, rather, the inverted catenary.

This website shows how a square wheel rides smoothly on such a road.

http://home.att.net/~mathtrek/muse0299.htm

And this on shows the math involved in constructing the proper catenary.

http://www.mapleapps.com/categories/education/university/html/sqwheel.html

Posted by TomM on 2002-11-29 02:43:59