I will try to explain why the tractricoid has a cusp (and why there sometimes are frills beyond the cusp )
The tractricoid is the "real" name of what many people call the pseudosphere
The tractricoid is the best known but not the only pseudo-spherical surface, In the earlier post I think I even show that it was not the first known one)
The tractricoid is the revolution surface of a tractrix (good to know but not used in the proof)
I thought it was easy but while trying to write a good and simple explanation I realised it was more complex than I expected. but i think a good simple explanation is a good thing to have
In this proof I maybe sometimes state the obvious this is to make the proof better to understand.
I hope it is not to annoying.
the whole proof might as well done a bit easier by just looking at a tractrix instead of an tractricoid, (replacing radius of h-circle with distance of the x-axis)
I did choose not to do so, to keep the idea of a tractricoid intact and to remove the attention of coordinates (I would like a proof that did not mention coordinates at all, I did get quite close, I think :)
Lets go into the maths:
Suppose we have a tractricoid where the axis of rotation/ revolution / symmetry is the x axis.
Define an h-circle as the circle that is the intersection of the on the plane perpendicular to the x axis and the tractricoid.
suppose $S_1 (x_1, y_1 , 0) $ is a point on the tractricoid.
The radius of the h-circle through $ S_1 $ is $ y_1 $
and the circumference of the h-circle through $ S_1 = 2 \pi y_1 $
Some fixed distance $ds$ from $S_1$ we have the point $ S_2 = (x_2, y_2 , 0) $
With distance here I mean the length of the arc that is the intersection between the tractricoid and the $ y >0, z=0 $ half plane, measuring the distance this way is very importand and we will come back to this later.
The circumference of the h-circle through $S_2 = 2 \pi y_1 $ times some (small) factor $ a > 1 $
A distance $ds$ from $S_2$ we have the point $S_3 = (x_3, y_3 , 0) $
The circumference of the h-circle through $S_3 = 2 \pi y_3 = 2 \pi y_2 a = 2 \pi y_1 a^2$
and $ y_3 = a y_2 = a^2 y_1 $
This can be generalised to $ y_n = a y_{n-1} $
(Now stating some obvious facts)
When $ i < j < k $ then $S_j$ is between $S_i$ and $S_k$
if $ i < j$ then the circomference of the h-circle through $S_i$ is smaller than the circumference of the h-circle through $S_j$
(End of obvious facts)
The difference between $y_n $ and $y_{n-1}$ is $ (a-1) y_{n-1}$
At some point $S_c$ , the difference between $y_c $ and $y_{c-1} $ is $ (a-1) y_{c-1}$ is $ ds$
(or to be more exact the difference is between $ \frac{ds}{a}$ (?) and $ ds$ )
The circumference of the h-circle through $S_c$ is $ 2 \pi y_c $
A step further at $S_{c+1}$ the circumference of the h-circle is $ 2 \pi y_c $ times $a$.
and the radius at $S_{c+1}$ is $ a y_{c}$
Now an impossible situatie occurs that
The difference between the radius at $S_{c+1}$ and $S_{c}$ is $(a-1) y_c $
And $(a-1 ) y_c > (a-1 ) y_{c-1} = ds $ so the necessary radius of the circle at $S_{c+1}$ is bigger than the radius at $S_{c} + ds $ and therefore this circle cannot be constructed.
(the maximum circle that can be made after $ S_c $ is one with radius $y_c + ds$)
This is why there is a cusp
But then what "beyond the cusp"?
the circle is the shortest curve to surround a given area, and a way out of this is to change curve and opt for a longer curve than a circle to surround a given area, and this is your circle with frills, or cusps ,
Or as the tractricoid does: stop at the cusp.
Hope this helps