Reuleaux polygon

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Wed, Apr 30, 2003 at 02:37:52PM -0400, James A. Landau wrote:
> In a message dated 4/30/2003 1:59:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> mamandel at UNAGI.CIS.UPENN.EDU writes:
>
> > I first recall hearing of [Reuleaux polygons] in a story by Poul Anderson,
>
> Poul Anderson "The Three-Cornered Wheel" which appeared in Analog Science
> Fiction when that magazine was printed in "bedsheet format", which was March
> 1963 through April 1965.  I have no idea if it has ever been reprinted.  It
> was very minor Anderson, being a typical Analog gimmick story.  Some
> explorers needed to move something heavy (I forget what) but the autochthones
> worshipped the circle as holy and therefore circular wheels were taboo.  So
> the explorers pulled the expected rabbit out their helmets by using rollers
> in the shape of  Reuleaux triangles.
>
> My Analog collection is packed away in the attic so I can't look it up
> anytime soon.

It was the October 1963 Analog.

Jesse Sheidlower