Constructing the Catacaustic of a Circle for Radial Rays
- Author:
- Irina Boyadzhiev
- Topic:
- Circle
A light source at the radiant point S produces some radial light rays (in yellow). The rays are reflected by the circle, with radius r=1. If the rays have more than one intersection point with the circle, they are reflected at both points. The reflected rays and their continuations are shown in light blue.
Definition: The envelope of the reflected rays by the circle is called the catacaustic of the circle (also caustic).
- Drag the slider - "d" to change the distance from the center of the circle to the radiant point.
- Drag the slider - "numberRays" to change the number of light rays.
- To see the equation of the catacaustic, click on the check box.