Square wheel
A square wheel is a wheel that, instead of being circular, has the shape of a square. While literal square wheels exist, a more common use is as a metaphor meaning stereotypically bad or naïve engineering (see reinventing the wheel).
A square wheel can roll smoothly if the ground consists of evenly shaped inverted catenaries of the right size and curvature.[1][2][3]
A different type of square-wheeled vehicle was invented in 2006 by Jason Winckler of Global Composites, Inc. in the United States. This has square wheels, linked together and offset by 22.5°, rolling on a flat surface. The prototype appears ungainly, but the inventor proposes that the system may be useful in microscopic-sized machines (MEMS).[4]
In 1997 Macalester College mathematics professor Stan Wagon constructed the first prototype of a catenary tricycle. An improved model made out of modern materials was built when the original vehicle wore out in April, 2004.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Peterson, Ivars (4 April 2004), "Riding on Square Wheels", Science News 165 (14), http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/4877/title/Riding_on_Square_Wheels, retrieved 2009-05-03
- ^ A Catenary Road and Square Wheels, New Trier High School, Winnetka, Illinois, archived from the original on September 20, 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20060930172827/http://nths.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/math/Connections/curves/sqwheels.htm, retrieved 2009-05-03
- ^ Non-Circular Wheels, Physics and Astronomy Lecture Demonstrations, University of Iowa, http://faraday.physics.uiowa.edu/mech/1M20.65.htm, retrieved 2009-05-03
- ^ Square Wheel Car Propels Itself by Shifting Weight - Possible MEMS Locomotion, Global Composites, 2 December 2005, http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/12/prweb316686.htm, retrieved 2009-05-03
- ^ Wagon, Stan. "Untitled". http://stanwagon.com/. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
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