Learn about this topic in these articles:

properties of a sphere

In sphere
A diameter is any line segment connecting two points of a sphere and passing through its centre. The circumference is the length of any great circle, the intersection of the sphere with any plane passing through its centre. A meridian is any great circle passing through…
Read More

curve

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

A curve sketched with the help of calculusThis graph of f(x) = x3 − 3x + 2 illustrates the essential steps in constructing a graph. The local maximum (at x = − 1) and the local minimum (at x = 1) are first plotted. Then a value for x is chosen from each of the three resulting ranges, x < −1, −1 < x < 1, and 1 < x, to suggest the general shape of the curve. Further values for x may be chosen to produce a more accurate graph.

Discover

Ruminant. Deer. Red deer. Cervus elaphus. Buck. Stag. Antlers.

9 of the World’s Deadliest Mammals

New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.

Where Is “Old Zealand”?

Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)

New Seven Wonders of the World

Entrants falling and tumbling over while chasing the cheese at the 2016 'Cheese Rolling' held at Cooper's Hill, in the Cotswolds, Brockworth England

7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Festivals

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

curve

mathematics

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Key People:: Pierre de Fermat; James Gregory; Julius Plücker; Joseph Bertrand; Gilles Personne de Roberval

Related Topics:: conic section; catenary; spiral; orthogonal trajectory; curvature

See all related content

curve, In mathematics, an abstract term used to describe the path of a continuously moving point (see continuity). Such a path is usually generated by an equation. The word can also apply to a straight line or to a series of line segments linked end to end. A closed curve is a path that repeats itself, and thus encloses one or more regions. Simple examples include circles, ellipses, and polygons. Open curves such as parabolas, hyperbolas, and spirals have infinite length.

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.