Transcendental curves in the plane, described by a point associated with an ellipse, hyperbola or parabola, as it rolls along a straight line. An example of a Sturm curve is the trajectory of the focus of a parabola as it rolls along the $x$-axis — a catenary.
These curves were studied by J.Ch. Sturm.
[1] | A.A. Savelov, "Planar curves" , Moscow (1960) (In Russian) |
Replacing "rolls along a straight line" by "rolls along another fixed curve" , the point will describe a roulette.
[a1] | J.D. Lawrence, "A catalog of special plane curves" , Dover, reprint (1972) |
[a2] | F. Gomes Teixeira, "Traité des courbes" , 1–3 , Chelsea, reprint (1971) |