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NAME

Math::PlanePath::KochCurve -- horizontal Koch curve

SYNOPSIS

 use Math::PlanePath::KochCurve;
 my $path = Math::PlanePath::KochCurve->new;
 my ($x, $y) = $path->n_to_xy (123);

DESCRIPTION

This is an integer version of the self-similar curve by Helge von Koch going along the X axis and making triangular excursions upwards.

                               8                                   3
                             /  \
                      6---- 7     9----10                18-...    2
                       \              /                    \
             2           5          11          14          17     1
           /  \        /              \        /  \        /
     0----1     3---- 4                12----13    15----16    <- Y=0
     ^
    X=0   2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

The replicating shape is the initial N=0 to N=4,

            *
           / \
      *---*   *---*

which is rotated and repeated 3 times in the same pattern to give sections N=4 to N=8, N=8 to N=12, and N=12 to N=16. Then that N=0 to N=16 is itself replicated three times at the angles of the base pattern, and so on infinitely.

The X,Y coordinates are arranged on a square grid using every second point, per "Triangular Lattice" in Math::PlanePath. The result is flattened triangular segments with diagonals at a 45 degree angle.

Level Ranges

Each replication adds 3 copies of the existing points and is thus 4 times bigger, so if N=0 to N=4 is reckoned as level 1 then a given replication level goes from

    Nstart = 0
    Nlevel = 4^level   (inclusive)

Each replication is 3 times the width. The initial N=0 to N=4 figure is 6 wide and in general a level runs from

    Xstart = 0
    Xlevel = 2*3^level   at N=Nlevel

The highest Y is 3 times greater at each level similarly. The peak is at the midpoint of each level,

    Npeak = (4^level)/2
    Ypeak = 3^level
    Xpeak = 3^level

It can be seen that the N=6 point backtracks horizontally to the same X as the start of its section N=4 to N=8. This happens in the further replications too and is the maximum extent of the backtracking.

The Nlevel is multiplied by 4 to get the end of the next higher level. The same 4*N can be applied to all points N=0 to N=Nlevel to get the same shape but a factor of 3 bigger X,Y coordinates. The in-between points 4*N+1, 4*N+2 and 4*N+3 are then new finer structure in the higher level.

Fractal

Koch conceived the curve as having a fixed length and infinitely fine structure, making it continuous everywhere but differentiable nowhere. The code here can be pressed into use for that sort of construction for a given level of granularity by scaling

    X/3^level
    Y/3^level

which makes it a fixed 2 wide by 1 high. Or for unit-side equilateral triangles then apply further factors 1/2 and sqrt(3)/2, as noted in "Triangular Lattice" in Math::PlanePath.

    (X/2) / 3^level
    (Y*sqrt(3)/2) / 3^level

FUNCTIONS

See "FUNCTIONS" in Math::PlanePath for behaviour common to all path classes.

$path = Math::PlanePath::KochCurve->new ()

Create and return a new path object.

($x,$y) = $path->n_to_xy ($n)

Return the X,Y coordinates of point number $n on the path. Points begin at 0 and if $n < 0 then the return is an empty list.

Fractional positions give an X,Y position along a straight line between the integer positions.

($n_lo, $n_hi) = $path->rect_to_n_range ($x1,$y1, $x2,$y2)

The returned range is exact, meaning $n_lo and $n_hi are the smallest and biggest in the rectangle.

$n = $path->n_start()

Return 0, the first N in the path.

FORMULAS

Turn Sequence

The sequence of turns made by the curve is straightforward. The curve always turns either +60 degrees or -120 degrees, it never goes straight ahead. In the base 4 representation of N the lowest non-zero digit gives the turn

   low digit       turn
   ---------   ------------
      1         +60 degrees (left)
      2        -120 degrees (right)
      3         +60 degrees (left)

For example N=8 is 20 base 4, so lowest nonzero "2" means turn -120 degrees for the next segment.

When the least significant digit is non-zero it determines the turn, making the base N=0 to N=4 shape. When the low digit is zero then the next level up is in control, eg. N=0,4,8,12,16, making a turn where the base shape repeats.

Net Direction

The cumulative turn at a given N can be found by counting digits 1 and 2 in base 4.

    direction = 60 * ((count of 1 digits in base 4)
                      - (count of 2 digits in base 4))  degrees

For example N=11 is 23 in base 4, so 60*(0-1) = -60 degrees.

In this formula the count of 1s and 2s can go past 360 degrees, representing a spiralling around which occurs at progressively higher replication levels. The direction can be taken mod 360 degrees, or the count mod 6, for a direction 0 to 5 or as desired.

Rectangle to N Range -- Level

An easy over-estimate of the N values in a rectangle can be had from the Xlevel formula above. If Xlevel>rectangleX then Nlevel is past the rectangle extent.

    X = 2*3^level
    floorlevel = floor log_base_3(X/2)
    Nhi = 4^(floorlevel+1) - 1

For example a rectangle extending to X=13 has floorlevel = floor(log3(13/2))=1 and Nhi=4^(1+1)-1=15.

The rounding-down of the log3 ensures a point such as X=18 which is the first in the next Nlevel will give that next level. So floorlevel=log3(18/2)=2 and Nhi=4^(2+1)-1=63.

The worst case for this over-estimate is when rectangleX==Xlevel, ie. just into the next level. In that case Nhi is almost a factor of 4 bigger than it needs to be.

Rectangle to N Range -- Exact

The exact Nlo and Nhi in a rectangle can be found by searching along the curve. Nlo searches forward from the origin N=0. Nhi searches backward from the Nlevel over-estimate described above.

At a given digit position in the prospective N the sub-part of the curve comprising the lower digits has a certain triangular extent. If it's outside the target rectangle then step to the next digit value, and to the next of the digit above when past digit=3 (or below digit=0 when searching backwards).

There's six possible rotations for the curve sub-part. In the following "o" is the start and the surrounding lines show the triangular extent. There's just four curve parts shown in each, but these triangles bound a sub-curve of any level.

   rot=0   -+-               +-----------------+
         --   --              - .-+-*   *-+-o -
       --   *   --             --    \ /    --
     --    / \    --             --   *   --
    - o-+-*   *-+-. -              --   --
   +-----------------+       rot=3   -+-

   rot=1
   +---------+               rot=4    /+
   |      . /                        / |
   |     / /                        / o|
   |*-+-* /                        / / |
   | \   /                        / *  |
   |  * /                        /   \ |
   | / /                        / *-+-*|
   |o /                        / /     |
   | /                        / .      |
   +/                        +---------+

   +\  rot=2                 +---------+
   | \                        \ o      |
   |. \                        \ \     |
   | \ \                        \ *-+-*|
   |  * \                        \   / |
   | /   \                        \ *  |
   |*-+-* \                        \ \ |
   |     \ \                        \ .|
   |      o \                rot=5   \ |
   +---------+                        \+

The "." is the start of the next sub-curve. It belongs to the next digit value and so can be excluded if desired. For rot=0 and rot=3 this means simply shortening the X range permitted, or for rot=1 and rot=4 similarly the Y range. For rot=2 and rot=5 it would require a separate test and doesn't matter very much.

Tight sub-part extent checking reduces the sub-parts which are examined, but it works perfectly well with a looser check, such as a square box for the sub-curve extents. Doing that might be easier if the target region was not a rectangle but some trickier shape.

OEIS

The Koch curve is in Sloane's Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences in various forms,

    http://oeis.org/A035263  (etc)

    A035263 -- turn 1=left,0=right, by morphism
    A096268 -- turn 0=left,1=right, by morphism
    A029883 -- turn +/-1=left,0=right, Thue-Morse first differences
    A089045 -- turn +/-1=left,0=right, by +/- something

    A003159 -- N positions of left turns, ending even number 0 bits
    A036554 -- N positions of right turns, ending odd number 0 bits

SEE ALSO

Math::PlanePath, Math::PlanePath::PeanoCurve, Math::PlanePath::HilbertCurve, Math::PlanePath::KochPeaks, Math::PlanePath::KochSnowflakes, Math::PlanePath::CCurve

Math::Fractal::Curve

HOME PAGE

http://user42.tuxfamily.org/math-planepath/index.html

LICENSE

Copyright 2011, 2012 Kevin Ryde

Math-PlanePath is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3, or (at your option) any later version.

Math-PlanePath is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with Math-PlanePath. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.