Copernicus's Theorem

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Inside a fixed circle is another circle whose diameter is half the diameter of the first circle, and it rolls inside the larger circle without sliding. What curve does the point of the moving circle describe? The point moves along a straight line—more exactly, along a diameter of the stationary circle. This result is called Copernicus's theorem.

Contributed by: Jaime Rangel-Mondragon (March 2011)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


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For more information, see Copernicus' Theorem at www.cut-the-knot.org.



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