Designing A Rose Cutter

Designing a Rose Cutter
Author: Hartzler, J.S.
College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 41-43, 1995.

The author makes the curve of the blade using a first order differential equation, where the independent variable is the angle that the straight blade makes with the x-axis. After several transformations using trigonometric identities, this equation can be solved resulting in a logarithmic spiral. (Summary by Sarah Kinicki, Pomona College '12)

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