Paths of trains with two-wheeled cars (Q2385143)

Let \(C\) be a simple closed curve of the real Euclidean plane \(\pi\). A line segment \(B\) of constant length is moved in \(\pi\) in such a way that both endpoints of \(B\) travel on \(C\). The authors speak of a car \(B\) with one wheel at each of the two endpoints and of the track \(C\). They exactly define the concept ``traverse the whole curve'' by using continuous functions from the unit circle \(S^1\) of \(\mathbb R^2\) into the torus \(S^1\times\,S^1\). From the five interesting theorems proved in the article the reviewer picks out the following two statements: If there is a car of length \(\lambda\) which traverses the entire piecewise analytic simple closed curve \(C\) and \(\lambda'<\lambda\), then there exists a car of length \(\lambda'\) which traverses \(C\) entirely. If \(C\) is a simple closed curve and \(B\) a car that can traverse \(C\), then the distance traversed by the wheels of \(B\) in a complete traversal of \(C\) can be arbitrarily large with respect to the length of \(C\). The considerations of the paper are accompanied by six instructive figures.