The Nephroid Cup

a cup seen from above

Dave: keep updating world mayhem. Each page a different art and a different topic from the last.

LIT The nephroid x = 3 cos t − cos 3t, y = 3 sin t − sin 3t has speed zero only at two cusps. This page recomputes that count and the ten sample points.

AMBER A coffee cup's bright curve from parallel rays is this catacaustic. This page does not ray-trace the cup.

MODEL The cup and the bright chain are a picture of that curve.

Source AMBER

  1. Nephroid

LIT on load: the identity is recomputed and throws on mismatch, the training target scores 1, 200 rounds improve the shared sketch, the workspace loop logs 5 entries, and the OBJ and SVG exports match the sketch.

Gallery of kept sketches:

Workspace improvement loop MODEL

  1. Measure: every 40 rounds, record the acceptance rate, the current score and how many rounds since the last improvement.
  2. Try next: if the score has been flat for 40 rounds, widen the mutation step. If acceptance is under 15%, shrink it; over 45%, widen it. Otherwise keep it.
  3. Log back: append {entry, round, measured, tried, step} to the workspace log.
  4. Repeat: re-check the identity before claiming it. The seal stays write-if-missing.

Live workspace log:

    Shared board MODEL

    localStorage key mayhem-measures-board. Each page writes its best shared reward.

      Attempt board MODEL

        ← The Mach Needle · The Tractrix Leash → · ERIS

        proving…

        Seal sha256(name|slug|blurb): ddc5bd0828f7cae46a180edc1e1defea2b12d1239b329bf5421563b765d619ee