Visualization of cycloid curves by educational robotics in the classroom environment
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Attila Körei
[1]
;
Szilvia Szilágyi
[1]
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[1] University of Miskolc
University of Miskolc
Hungría
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- Localización: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology, ISSN 0020-739X, Vol. 57, Nº. 3, 2026, págs. 598-614
- Idioma: inglés
- DOI: 10.1080/0020739X.2024.2439052
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Using the STEAM framework brings disciplines together by exploiting the synergy between modelling processes, mathematics and engineering. Nowadays, educational robotics is a powerful and flexible educational tool with a great motivational factor at all levels of education, including higher education. Cycloids (prolate, cusped, curtate) have been used in many engineering and physics-related problems over the centuries, have several interesting and unique properties, and are still widely used today by engineers and designers in new fields. In this paper, we present a new STEAM-based methodology for visualisation and multiple representations of cycloid curves using educational LEGO robots in the classroom environment. The first step is to draw the curves with light, using the classical definition of cycloids and a LEGO robot of our own design, and then follow the same principle to draw them with a marker pen, where the drawing head is moved by a robot. To strengthen visualisation, we have created another LEGO robot structure with a more complex working principle, which is also capable of drawing all three types of cycloids. The paper shows the details of the construction and engineering aspects of both types of drawing robots, together with the mathematical background.
