Wikipedia:Picture of the day/January 8, 2007

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Picture of the day

Villarceau circles animation

An animation showing how an obliquely cut torus reveals a pair of circles, known as Villarceau circles, named after the French astronomer and mathematician Yvon Villarceau. The circles have no known practical application, but are merely a curious and somewhat unexpected characteristic of the torus.

Animation credit: Kieff
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