Old Curves in a New Setting Author(s): C. R. Haines Source: The Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 61, No. 418 (Dec.

, 1977), pp. 262-266 Published by: The Mathematical Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3617399 . Accessed: 28/09/2013 21:12
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262

THE MATHEMATICAL GAZETTE

Old curvesin a newsetting

C. R. HAINES Apart from the conic sections, many well known curves have physical and geometrical applications which are readily understood by sixth formers and undergraduates.The catenary, cycloid, spirals, involutes, evolutes and many others appear in courses in civil engineeringand control mechanisms, and frequently in A level calculus questions. Many of these curves are often introduced with applications to machines in mind, which are on a fairly
800 m

start Finish
start A B

100m markers
m

1500 m start

300 m markers (relay)

200 m start and 200 m markers (relay)

FIGURE 1. Layout of the 400 m circuit(not to scale).

small scale (although this does not apply to the catenary). For this reason they may have only limited appeal to students whose interests do not lie in this area. The shaping of gear teeth, based on involutes of circles, whilst an important application, may not be a 'living' example to the student with no leanings towards engineering. It is, therefore, gratifying to rediscover applications for the reciprocal spiral and the involute of the circle based on linear dimensions of the order of 30 to 40 metres. In track athletics all races of 200 m and above take place on a standard 400 m circuit consisting of two parallel straights of 84-39 m joined at each end by semicircles of minimum radius 36-50 m (Fig. 1). Eight individual lanes are constructed, of width 1 12 m on the inside lane and 1 22 m for the other seven lanes. All races finish at the same line on the track, necessitating

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IN A NEWSETTING OLD CURVES

263

specificstartpositionsfor racesof a givenlength.The actualdistanceson not on the lane marking the trackare measured, lines,but 30 cm fromthe kerbfortheinsidelaneand20 cmfromtheoutsideof theinnerlanemarking for all other lanes; we shall call these the "runninglines". Studentscan easily verify that the inner runningline, having semicirclesof radius 36-50+ 0-30= 36-80m, has a lengthwhichis a verygood approximation to 400 m. The schoolphysicaleducation shouldpossessan updepartment all these to-datecopy of the AAAhandbook details. giving starts Staggered For the shorterraces-200 m, 400 m and 4 x 100m relays-the runners lanes for the durationof the race.To be have to keep to theirindividual
re = 15.61

2. Final markersfor the 4 x 100 m relay. FIGURE

the startingmarksin the variouslanesmust fair to all runners, therefore, so that each runningline is of the samelength.For example, be staggered haveto run84-39m of straight in the 4 x 100m relaythe last runners and 15-61m roundthe curve.TakingO'B as initialline, therefore, the points the centraltake-over on the runninglines marking pointsmust satisfythe equation rO= 15-61 lie on a part of a reciprocal (see Fig. 2). Theymusttherefore spiral(some= k, a constant(Fig. 3). withequationrO timescalleda "hyperbolic spiral") to zero, the x-coordinate, Note that, as 0 decreases rsin0, approaches k frombelow and the spiralhas an asymptoteat x = k. The 100m markers lie on a sectionof the curvewhichis verycloseto thisasymptote, for values runners in the400 m have2 x 84-39= 168-78 m of straight and Similarly, linesmarking 231 22 m of curvedtrack.Thepointson the running the start lie on the curve musttherefore
rO= 231-22 of 0 between 0.35c and 0-42c, and their positions approximateto points on a straight line parallel to O'B at a distance 0.975k = 1523 m from it.

(see Fig. 4), OA beingthe initialline. Thisis anotherreciprocal spiralwith

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264

GAZETTE THE MATHEMATICAL

/ //

// 2/ ra
0

'/

'200 m
3. The reciprocal spiral rO= constant. FIGURE

rO = 231.22 /

FIGURE 4. 400 m staggered start.

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OLD CURVES IN A NEW SETTING

265

a muchlargerdimensional constant,andthe relevant partis thatfor which the angle0 is just less than2r. for the 300 m An interesting variantoccursin the placingof the markers on the in the 4 x 100m relay.The innerfive laneshavemarkers take-over but runners on the outerthreelanestake over spiralr = 131-22, reciprocal on the straight lie in a straight line. and theirmarkers
Curvedstarts

For the longer distancesrunnersare allowedto run straightin to the insideof the bendfromthe start,and it is usualfor curvedstartlinesto be is assumed to be a straight drawn.Thepath of eachrunner line to its point of contactwith the next bend.The startline is the involuteof a circle,the

//l

FIGURE 5. The 800 m curved start.

for the 800 m, with OAas the initialline (see Fig. 1), is
0= 2n-x (r
a

base circle being the inner running line. The polar equation of the involute

a + cos-l(a

where a =36-80m.

the AAAhandbook out the lineswith However, givesthe detailsfor marking the insidebendsof the trackare pegged30 cm the minimumof difficulty; into the firstlaneand,by movinga tape of fixedlengthacrossthe trackthe the retuiredlocus. end of the tape describes The curvedstartline for the 800 m is shownin moredetailin Fig. 5. (In has beenfor the 800 m raceto be runin lanesforjust fact a recentpractice areallowedto moveinto the insidelane.It shortof one lap beforerunners to discusswitha classwhatwouldbe thefairest wouldbe interesting method A specialfeatureoccurswiththe startof the 1500m race.The innerpart roundthe left side circle(Fig. 6), of the startline is an involutewrapping it beginsto unwrap fromthe rightside but whenthe tapebecomesstraight
of marking out the start if the race is run in this way.)

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266

THE MATHEMATICAL GAZETTE

LS. 1m ~
15*61m ._

84.39 m
.. ....-. .

6. The 1500m curvedstart(a double involute). FIGURE

circle.The radiusof curvature of the start line changesdiscontinuously from1561 m to 100mat thispoint,andthecurveis a unionof twoinvolutes.
C. R. HAINES

The City University,St. John Street, LondonECI V 4PB

in the classroom tournaments Speedway

FRANK BUDDEN Dr T. J. Fletcher'sarticle in last December'sGazette[1] was of great in illustrating how an eminently interestmathematically practical problem a combinatorial couldbe solvedusingsomesur(here,essentially problem) mathematical theoretical ideas. (Theseincluded prisingand unexpectedly the group(C2)4 andfinitegeometries, as wellas excursions the fieldGF(22), Butto myself,at least,the interest into Pappus'and Desargues' theorems.) because thearticle thebackground forthreeorfour wasaugmented provided lessonswitha thirdyeargrammar schoolform.Thepurposeof end-of-term how someof the material was adapted. this articleis to describe to the classas an exampleof a "combiFirstthe problemtwasproposed natorialproblem".The termwas explained,and it was shownhow such of tournaments, couldrangefromthe simplearrangement or the problems of greatcomplexity suchas the selectionof playersfor teams,to problems of a school timetable.It was suggested to the pupils that, at construction first sight, such problems maywell appearto have littleto do with mathematicsas they regardit.
t The readeris remindedthat the problemwas to arrange16 ridersinto a numberof heats each with 4 participantsin such a way that everypair of ridersmeet once only.

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