• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.31-44
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• 2015

The cycloid curve had been studied by many mathematicians in the period from the 16th century to the 18th century. The results of those studies played important roles in the birth and development of Analytic Geometry, Calculus, and Variational Calculus. In this period mathematicians frequently used the cycloid as an example to apply when they presented their new mathematical methods and ideas. This paper overviews the history of mathematics on the cycloid curve and presents proofs of its important properties.