Explain Education on Instagram: "When an object slides down a straight ramp (with only gravity), it travels a shorter distance and it gains speed slowly. But the brachistochrone curve starts steep, letting gravity give the object a quick burst of speed. Then, it flattens out, allowing that speed to carry it further. The result? It reaches the endpoint faster, even though the path is longer. This is a beautiful example of physics optimizing for time, not distance. The curve that solves this probl