Maths · Circles that draw

How can spinning circles draw any shape?

Name: How can spinning circles draw any shape?
Uploaded: 2026-10-25
Duration: 25 s
Description: Put a circle on a circle on a circle, each one spinning at its own steady speed, and hold a pen at the very tip. Two circles draw a simple loop. Add more, each smaller and faster, and the loop sharpens. With eighty circles, the pen draws a treble clef. Any closed outline can be rebuilt from spinning circles.

What you’ll see

Put a circle on a circle on a circle, each one spinning at its own steady speed, and hold a pen at the very tip. Two circles draw a simple loop. Add more, each smaller and faster, and the loop sharpens. With eighty circles, the pen draws a treble clef. Any closed outline can be rebuilt from spinning circles.