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brachistochrone

[bruh-kis-tuh-krohn]

noun Mechanics.

the curve between two points that in the shortest time by a body moving under an external force without friction; the curve of quickest descent.

Origin:
1765–75; < Greek bráchisto(s) shortest (superlative of brachýs brachy-) + chrónos time

Related forms

bra·chis·to·chron·ic

[bruh-kis-tuh-kron-ik] , bra·chis·toch·ro·nous

[brey-kuh-stok-ruh-nuhs, brak-uh-] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

brachistochrone (brəˈkɪstəˌkrəʊn)

—n
	maths the curve between two points through which a body moves under the force of gravity in a shorter time than for any other curve; the path of quickest descent

[C18: from Greek brakhistos, superlative of brakhus short + chronos time]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

brachistochrone

the planar curve on which a body subjected only to the force of gravity will slide (without friction) between two points in the least possible time (see ). Finding the curve was a problem first posed by Galileo. In the late 17th century the Swiss mathematician Jakob Bernoulli offered a reward for the solution of this problem. He and his younger brother Johann, along with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Isaac Newton, and others, found the curve to be a cycloid (q.v.). See also isoperimetric problem.

Learn more about brachistochrone with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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brachistochrone

bra·chis·to·chrone