Reuleaux triangle

The Reuleaux triangle is a constant width curve based on an equilateral triangle. All points on a side are equidistant
from the opposite vertex.

A Reuleaux triangle is the simplest and best known Reuleaux polygon. It is a curve of constant width,
meaning that the separation of two parallel lines tangent to the curve is independent of their orientation.
Because all diameters are the same, the Reuleaux triangle is one answer to the question "Other than a
circle, what shape can a manhole cover be made so that it cannot fall down through the hole?" The term
derives from Franz Reuleaux, a 19th-century German engineer who did pioneering work on ways that
machines translate one type of motion into another, although the concept was known before his time.

Contents

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 1 Construction

 2 Reuleaux polygons

 3 Other uses

 4 Three-dimensional version

 5 See also

 6 Notes

 7 External links

ConstructioN
With a compass, sweep an arc sufficient to enclose the desired figure. With radius unchanged, sweep a
sufficient arc centred at a point on the first arc to intersect that arc. With the same radius and the centre at
that intersection sweep a third arc to intersect the other arcs. The result is a curve of constant width.

Equivalently, given an equilateral triangle T of side length s, take the boundary of the intersection of the
disks with radius s centered at the vertices of T.

By the Blaschke–Lebesgue theorem, the Reuleaux triangle has the least area of any curve of given

constant width. This area is , where s is the constant width. The existence of Reuleaux
polygons shows that diameter measurements alone cannot verify that an object has a circular cross-
section.

The area of Reuleaux triangle is smaller than that of the disk of the same width (i.e. diameter); the area of

such a disk is .

Reuleaux polygons[edit source]

Reuleaux polygons

The Reuleaux triangle can be generalized to regular polygons with an odd number of sides, yielding
a Reuleaux polygon. The most commonly used of these is the Reuleaux heptagon, which is the shape of
several coins:

 Botswana pula coins in the denominations of 2 pula, 1 pula, 25 thebe and 5 thebe.

 Cypriot 50-cent coin, from 1991 until Cyprus joined the Euro in 2008.

 Jordanian quarter-dinar and half-dinar coins.

 Mauritian 10-rupee coin.

 British 20-pence and 50-pence coins.

 Canadian Loonie dollar coin (eleven sides).

The constant width of such coins allows their use in coin-operated machines.
Other uses[edit source]

The Reuleaux triangle rotating inside a square

 The rotor of the Wankel engine is easily mistaken for a Reuleaux triangle but its curved sides are
somewhat flatter than those of a Reuleaux triangle and so it does not have constant width. [1]

 The Watts Brothers Tool Works square drill bit has the shape of a Reuleaux triangle and can, if
mounted in a special chuck which allows for the bit not having a fixed centre of rotation, drill a hole that
is nearly square;[2] the corners of the square are slightly rounded, as can be seen by tracing any vertex
in this figure, and the drill bit covers 0.9877... of the area of the square.[3] The Harry Watt square is
often used inmortising[4][5] Other Reuleaux polygons are used to drill pentagonal, hexagonal, and
octagonal holes.

 A Reuleaux triangle (along with all other curves of constant width) can roll but makes a poor wheel
because it does not roll about a fixed center of rotation. An object on top of rollers with cross-sections
that were Reuleaux triangles would roll smoothly and flatly, but an axle attached to Reuleaux triangle
wheels would bounce up and down three times per revolution. This concept was used in a science
fiction short story by Poul Anderson titled "The Three-Cornered Wheel."[6]

 Several pencils are manufactured in this shape, rather than the more traditional round or hexagonal
barrels.[7] They are usually promoted as being more comfortable or encouraging proper grip, as well as
being less likely to roll off tables (since the center of gravity moves up and down more than a rolling
hexagon).

 The shape is used for signage for the National Trails System administered by the United States
National Park Service,[8] as well as the logo ofColorado School of Mines and the Connecticut
Collegiate Mathematics Competition.

 The corporate logo of Petrofina (Fina), a Belgian oil company with major operations in Europe, North
America and Africa, utilized a Reuleaux triangle with the Fina name from 1950 until Petrofina's merger
with Total S.A. in 2000.[9] A rotated version of Fina's Reuleaux triangle is utilized by Alon USA, which
acquired the American Petrofina operations spun off by Total in 2006.[10]
 Valve covers used in the Mission Bay Project of San Francisco to differentiate reclaimed water from
potable water are in the shape of a Reuleaux triangle.[11]

An equidiagonal kite that maximizes the ratio of perimeter to diameter, inscribed in a Reuleaux triangle

 Among all quadrilaterals, the shape that has the greatest ratio of its perimeter to its diameter is
an equidiagonal kite that can be inscribed into a Reuleaux triangle.[12]

 Many guitar picks employ the Reuleaux triangle, as its unique shape combines a sharp point to provide
strong articulation, with a wide tip to produce a warm timbre. Many players find the shape ergonomic,
since it naturally tends to point in the proper direction. Its three equal tips also prevent wear and
extend lifespan, as compared to the single tip of a pick shaped like an isosceles triangle. [13]

 Many windows in buildings designed by Berlage in Amsterdam's Plan Zuid extension are the shape of
the Reuleaux triangle.
Three-dimensional version[edit source]

The intersection of four spheres of radius s centered at the vertices of a regular tetrahedron with side
length s is called the Reuleaux tetrahedron, but is not a surface of constant width.[14] It can, however, be
made into a surface of constant width, called Meissner's tetrahedron, by replacing its edge arcs by curved
surface patches. Alternatively, the surface of revolution of a Reuleaux triangle through one of its symmetry
axes forms a surface of constant width, with minimum volume among all known surfaces of revolution of
given constant width (Campi, Colesanti & Gronchi (1996)).