Research Article
Open access
Published on 17 November 2023
Download pdf
Li,W. (2023). Analytical study of spirograph using parametric equations and pattern design by parametric-graphic interactions. Theoretical and Natural Science,10,64-78.
Export citation

Analytical study of spirograph using parametric equations and pattern design by parametric-graphic interactions

Wenxuan Li *,1,
  • 1 Ulink College of Shanghai

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-8818/10/20230311

Abstract

Perfectly symmetric curves always have a high degree of aesthetic value. While it is difficult to draw them by hand, Spirograph is an old and popular drawing toy that produces fascinating symmetric patterns. In playing with drawing software, the author explores types of Spirograph patterns, the type identification method, and the parametric equations to express Spirograph mathematically. This paper also discusses the key parameters of a Spirograph pattern and how they affect the pattern’ shape. Finally, Spirograph pattern design is carried out by analyzing the features of a random pattern and estimating its different parameters. These results to some extent demystify and predict the seemingly infinite Spirograph patterns, as the corresponding parameters of a given Spirograph pattern can be found so that the similar image can be drawn by hand through a physical Spirograph set.

Keywords

spirograph, trochoid, rotation, parametric equation, parameters

[1]. Deck, K. M. (1999). Spirograph® Math. Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal, 1(19), 7.

[2]. Cavanaugh, W. E. (1975). The Spirograph and the Greatest Common Factor. The Mathematics Teacher, 68(2), 162-163.

[3]. Stender, P. SPIROGRAPH–A TOY AS A MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM. Including the Highly Gifted and Creative Students–Current Ideas and Future Directions, 347.

[4]. Lessley, M., & Beale, P. (2012, July). Projecting Mathematical Curves with Laser Light. In Proceedings of Bridges 2012: Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture (pp. 557-560).

[5]. Saunders, R., & Gero, J. S. (2001). A curious design agent. In CAADRIA (Vol. 1, pp. 345-350).

[6]. Etemad, K., Carpendale, S., & Samavati, F. (2014, August). Spirograph inspired visualization of ecological networks. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Computational Aesthetics (pp. 81-91).

[7]. Konkar, R. (2022). Flattening the curve... of Spirographs. Recreational Mathematics Magazine, 9(16), 1-20.

[8]. Wang, B., Geng, Y., & Chu, J. (2019, November). Generation and application of hypocycloid and astroid. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1345, No. 3, p. 032085). IOP Publishing.

[9]. Shell-Gellasch, A. (2015). The Spirograph and Mathematical Models from 19th-Century Germany. Math Horizons, 22(4), 22-25.

[10]. Whitaker, R. J. (2001). Harmonographs. ii. circular design. American Journal of Physics, 69(2), 174-183.

[11]. Ippolito, D. (1999). The mathematics of the spirograph. The Mathematics Teacher, 92(4), 354-358.

[12]. Hall, L. M. (1992). Trochoids, roses, and thorns—beyond the spirograph. The College Mathematics Journal, 23(1), 20-35.

[13]. Flores, A., Prichard, M. K., Bezuk, N., & Moody, M. (1992). Activities: Mathematical Connections with a Spirograph. The Mathematics Teacher, 85(2), 129-137.

[14]. Lin, Y., & Vuillemot, R. (2013, October). Spirograph designs for ambient display of tweets. In IEEE VIS 2013. IEEE.

[15]. Gerofsky, S., Gomez, F., Rappaport, D., & Toussaint, G. (2009, July). Spirograph patterns and circular representations of rhythm: Exploring number theory concepts through visual, tangible and audible representations. In Proceedings of Bridges 2009: Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture (pp. 279-286).

[16]. Kang, R., Johnson, S., Lambert, E., & Davidson, C. (2020). Doing Mathematics with Spirograph. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 113(11), 895-903.

[17]. Sayers, N. (2018, July). The Art and Mathematics of Cycling: Using Old Bicycles to Draw Spirograph Patterns. In Proceedings of Bridges 2018: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture (pp. 455-458).

Cite this article

Li,W. (2023). Analytical study of spirograph using parametric equations and pattern design by parametric-graphic interactions. Theoretical and Natural Science,10,64-78.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Mathematical Physics and Computational Simulation

Conference website: https://www.confmpcs.org/
ISBN:978-1-83558-131-5(Print) / 978-1-83558-132-2(Online)
Conference date: 12 August 2023
Editor:Roman Bauer
Series: Theoretical and Natural Science
Volume number: Vol.10
ISSN:2753-8818(Print) / 2753-8826(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).