Math::PlanePath::CCurve -- Levy C curve
use Math::PlanePath::CCurve; my $path = Math::PlanePath::CCurve->new; my ($x, $y) = $path->n_to_xy (123);
This is an integer version of the Levy "C" curve.
11-----10-----9,7-----6------5 3 | | | 13-----12 8 4------3 2 | | 19---14,18----17 2 1 | | | | 21-----20 15-----16 0------1 <- Y=0 | 22 -1 | 25,23---24 -2 | 26 35-----34-----33 -3 | | | 27,37--28,36 32 -4 | | | 38 29-----30-----31 -5 | 39,41---40 -6 | 42 ... -7 | | 43-----44 49-----48 64-----63 -8 | | | | 45---46,50----47 62 -9 | | 51-----52 56 60-----61 -10 | | | 53-----54----55,57---58-----59 -11 ^ -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 X=0 1
The initial segment N=0 to N=1 is repeated with a turn +90 degrees left to give N=1 to N=2. Then N=0to2 is repeated likewise turned +90 degrees to make N=2to4. And so on doubling each time.
The 90 degree rotation is always relative to the initial N=0to1 direction along the X axis. So at any N=2^level the turn is +90 making the direction upwards at each of N=1,2,4,8,16,etc.
The curve crosses itself and repeats some X,Y positions. The first doubled point is X=-2,Y=3 which is both N=7 and N=9. The first tripled point is X=18,Y=-7 which is N=189, N=279 and N=281. The number of repeats at a given point is always finite but as N increases there's points where that number of repeats becomes ever bigger (is that right?).
See "FUNCTIONS" in Math::PlanePath for the behaviour common to all path classes.
$path = Math::PlanePath::CCurve->new ()
Create and return a new path object.
($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.
$n
$n < 0
Fractional positions give an X,Y position along a straight line between the integer positions.
$n = $path->xy_to_n ($x,$y)
Return the point number for coordinates $x,$y. If there's nothing at $x,$y then return undef.
$x,$y
undef
$n = $path->n_start()
Return 0, the first N in the path.
The direction or net turn of the curve is the count of 1 bits in N,
direction = count_1_bits(N) * 90degrees
For example N=11 is binary 1011 has three 1 bits, so direction 3*90=270 degrees, ie. to the south.
This bit count is because at each power-of-2 position the curve is a copy of the lower bits but turned +90 degrees, so +90 for each 1-bit.
For powers-of-2 N=2,4,8,16, etc, there's only a single 1-bit so the direction is always +90 degrees there, ie. always upwards.
At each point N the curve can turn in any direction: left, right, straight, or 180 degrees back. The turn is given by the number of low 0-bits of N,
turn right = (count_low_0_bits(N) - 1) * 90degrees
For example N=8 is binary 0b100 which is 2 low 0-bits for turn=(2-1)*90=90 degrees to the right.
When N is odd there's no low zero bits and the turn is always (0-1)*90=-90 to the right in that case, which means every second turn is 90 degrees to the left.
The turn at the point following N, ie. at N+1, can be calculated from the bits of N by counting the low 1-bits,
next turn right = (count_low_1_bits(N) - 1) * 90degrees
For example N=11 is binary 0b1011 which is 2 low one bits for nextturn=(2-1)*90=90 degrees to the right at the following point, ie. at N=12.
This works simply because low 1-bits like ..0111 increment to low 0-bits ..1000 to become N+1. The low 1-bits at N are thus the low 0-bits at N+1.
n_to_dxdy() is implemented using the direction described above. If N is an integer then count mod 4 gives the direction for dX,dY.
n_to_dxdy()
dir = count_1_bits(N) mod 4 dx = dir_to_dx[dir] # table 0 to 3 dy = dir_to_dy[dir]
For fractional N the direction at int(N)+1 can be obtained from the direction at int(N) by applying the turn at int(N)+1, that being the low 1-bits of N per "Next Turn" above. Those two directions can then be combined per "N to dX,dY -- Fractional" in Math::PlanePath.
# apply turn to make direction at Nint+1 turn = count_low_1_bits(N) - 1 # N integer part dir = (dir - turn) mod 4 # direction at N+1 # adjust dx,dy by fractional amount in this direction dx += Nfrac * (dir_to_dx[dir] - dx) dy += Nfrac * (dir_to_dy[dir] - dy)
A tiny optimization can be made by working the "-1" of the turn formula into a +90 degree rotation of the dir_to_dx[] and dir_to_dy[] parts by a swap and sign change,
dir_to_dx[]
dir_to_dy[]
turn_plus_1 = count_low_1_bits(N) # on N integer part dir = (dir - turn_plus_1) mod 4 # direction-1 at N+1 # adjustment including extra +90 degrees on dir dx -= $n*(dir_to_dy[dir] + dx) dy += $n*(dir_to_dx[dir] - dy)
The N values at a given X,Y can be found by traversing the curve. At a given digit position if X,Y is within the curve extents at that level and position then descend to consider the next lower digit position, otherwise step to the next digit at the current digit position.
It's convenient to work in base-4 digits since that keeps the digit steps straight rather than diagonals. The maximum extent of the curve at a given even numbered level is
k = level/2 Lmax(level) = 2^k + floor(2^(k-1) - 1);
For example k=2 is level=4, N=0 to N=2^4=16 has extent Lmax=2^2+2^1-1=5. That extent can be seen at points N=13,N=14,N=15.
The extents width-ways and backwards are shorter and using them would tighten the traversal, cutting off some unnecessary descending. But the calculations are then a little trickier.
The first N found by this traversal is the smallest. Continuing the search gives all the N which are the target X,Y.
Entries in Sloane's Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences related to this path include
http://oeis.org/A179868 (etc) A010059 abs(dX), count1bits(N) mod 2 A010060 abs(dY), count1bits(N)+1 mod 2, being Thue-Morse A000120 total turn, being count 1-bits A179868 direction 0to3, count 1-bits mod 4 A007814 turn-1 to the right, being count low 0-bits A003159 N positions of left or right turn, ends even num 0 bits A036554 N positions of straight or 180 turn, ends odd num 0 bits A146559 X at N=2^k, being Re((i+1)^k) A009545 Y at N=2^k, being Im((i+1)^k)
Math::PlanePath, Math::PlanePath::DragonCurve, Math::PlanePath::AlternatePaper, Math::PlanePath::KochCurve
ccurve(6x) back end of xscreensaver(1) displaying the C curve (and various other dragon curve and Koch curves).
http://user42.tuxfamily.org/math-planepath/index.html
Copyright 2011, 2012, 2013 Kevin Ryde
This file is part of Math-PlanePath.
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.
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To install Math::PlanePath, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm Math::PlanePath
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install Math::PlanePath
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.