This is a list of Wikipedia articles about

curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line (geometry), line, but that does not have to be Linearity, straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point (ge ...

s used in different fields:

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

(including

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

, and

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical s ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, etc.

Mathematics (Geometry)

Algebraic curve In mathematics, an affine algebraic plane curve is the zero set of a polynomial in two variables. A projective algebraic plane curve is the zero set in a projective plane of a homogeneous polynomial in three variables. An affine algebraic plane c ...
s

Rational curves

Rational curves are subdivided according to the

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

of the polynomial.

=Degree 1

= * Line

=Degree 2

= Plane curves of degree 2 are known as conics or

conic section In mathematics, a conic section, quadratic curve or conic is a curve obtained as the intersection of the surface of a cone with a plane. The three types of conic section are the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse; the circle is a specia ...

s and include *

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...

Unit circle In mathematics, a unit circle is a circle of unit radius—that is, a radius of 1. Frequently, especially in trigonometry, the unit circle is the circle of radius 1 centered at the origin (0, 0) in the Cartesian coordinate system in the Eucl ...

Ellipse In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focus (geometry), focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special ty ...

Parabola In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One descript ...

Hyperbola In mathematics, a hyperbola (; pl. hyperbolas or hyperbolae ; adj. hyperbolic ) is a type of smooth curve lying in a plane, defined by its geometric properties or by equations for which it is the solution set. A hyperbola has two pieces, cal ...

Unit hyperbola In geometry, the unit hyperbola is the set of points (''x'',''y'') in the Cartesian plane that satisfy the implicit equation x^2 - y^2 = 1 . In the study of indefinite orthogonal groups, the unit hyperbola forms the basis for an ''alternative radi ...

=Degree 3

Cubic plane curve In mathematics, a cubic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve defined by a cubic equation : applied to homogeneous coordinates for the projective plane; or the inhomogeneous version for the affine space determined by setting in such an eq ...

s include *

Cubic parabola In arithmetic and algebra, the cube of a number is its third power, that is, the result of multiplying three instances of together. The cube of a number or any other mathematical expression is denoted by a superscript 3, for example or . ...

Folium of Descartes In geometry, the folium of Descartes (; named for René Decartes) is an algebraic curve defined by the implicit equation :x^3 + y^3 - 3 a x y = 0. History The curve was first proposed and studied by René Descartes in 1638. Its claim to fam ...

Cissoid of Diocles In geometry, the cissoid of Diocles (; named for Diocles) is a cubic plane curve notable for the property that it can be used to construct two mean proportionals to a given ratio. In particular, it can be used to double a cube. It can be de ...

Conchoid of de Sluze In algebraic geometry, the conchoids of de Sluze are a family of plane curves studied in 1662 by Walloon mathematician René François Walter, baron de Sluze.. The curves are defined by the polar equation :r=\sec\theta+a\cos\theta \,. In cartes ...

Right strophoid In geometry, a strophoid is a curve generated from a given curve and points (the fixed point) and (the pole) as follows: Let be a variable line passing through and intersecting at . Now let and be the two points on whose distance from ...

Semicubical parabola In mathematics, a cuspidal cubic or semicubical parabola is an algebraic plane curve that has an implicit equation of the form : y^2 - a^2 x^3 = 0 (with ) in some Cartesian coordinate system. Solving for leads to the ''explicit form'' : y = \ ...

Serpentine curve A serpentine curve is a curve whose equation is of the form :x^2y+a^2y-abx=0, \quad ab > 0. Equivalently, it has a parametric representation :x=a\cot(t), y=b\sin (t)\cos(t), or functional representation :y=\frac. The curve has an inflection po ...

Trident curve In mathematics, a trident curve (also trident of Newton or parabola of Descartes) is any member of the family of curves that have the formula: :xy+ax^3+bx^2+cx=d Trident curves are cubic plane curves with an ordinary double point in the real pr ...

Trisectrix of Maclaurin In algebraic geometry, the trisectrix of Maclaurin is a cubic plane curve notable for its trisectrix property, meaning it can be used to trisect an angle. It can be defined as locus of the point of intersection of two lines, each rotating at a ...

Tschirnhausen cubic In algebraic geometry, the Tschirnhausen cubic, or Tschirnhaus' cubic is a plane curve defined, in its left-opening form, by the polar equation :r = a\sec^3 \left(\frac\right) where is the secant function. History The curve was studied by Ehrenf ...

Witch of Agnesi In mathematics, the witch of Agnesi () is a cubic plane curve defined from two diametrically opposite points of a circle. It gets its name from Italian mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi, and from a mistranslation of an Italian word for a sail ...

=Degree 4

Quartic plane curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one of ...

s include *

Ampersand curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one o ...

Bean curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one o ...

* Bicorn *

Bow curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one ...

Bullet-nose curve In mathematics, a bullet-nose curve is a unicursal quartic curve with three inflection points, given by the equation :a^2y^2-b^2x^2=x^2y^2 \, The bullet curve has three double points in the real projective plane, at and , and , and and , and ...

Cartesian oval In geometry, a Cartesian oval is a plane curve consisting of points that have the same linear combination of distances from two fixed points (foci). These curves are named after French mathematician René Descartes, who used them in optics. Def ...

Cruciform curve In algebraic geometry, a quartic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve of the fourth degree. It can be defined by a bivariate quartic equation: :Ax^4+By^4+Cx^3y+Dx^2y^2+Exy^3+Fx^3+Gy^3+Hx^2y+Ixy^2+Jx^2+Ky^2+Lxy+Mx+Ny+P=0, with at least one o ...

Deltoid curve In geometry, a deltoid curve, also known as a tricuspoid curve or Steiner curve, is a hypocycloid of three cusps. In other words, it is the roulette created by a point on the circumference of a circle as it rolls without slipping along the insid ...

* Devil's curve *

Hippopede In geometry, a hippopede () is a plane curve determined by an equation of the form :(x^2+y^2)^2=cx^2+dy^2, where it is assumed that and since the remaining cases either reduce to a single point or can be put into the given form with a rotation. ...

Kampyle of Eudoxus The Kampyle of Eudoxus (Greek: καμπύλη �ραμμή meaning simply "curved ine curve") is a curve with a Cartesian equation of :x^4 = a^2(x^2+y^2), from which the solution ''x'' = ''y'' = 0 is excluded. Alternative parameterizations In ...

Kappa curve In geometry, the kappa curve or Gutschoven's curve is a two-dimensional algebraic curve resembling the Greek letter . The kappa curve was first studied by Gérard van Gutschoven around 1662. In the history of mathematics, it is remembered as one o ...

Lemniscate In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate is any of several figure-eight or -shaped curves. The word comes from the Latin "''lēmniscātus''" meaning "decorated with ribbons", from the Greek λημνίσκος meaning "ribbons",. or which alternative ...

Lemniscate of Booth In geometry, a hippopede () is a plane curve determined by an equation of the form :(x^2+y^2)^2=cx^2+dy^2, where it is assumed that and since the remaining cases either reduce to a single point or can be put into the given form with a rotation. ...

Lemniscate of Gerono In algebraic geometry, the lemniscate of Gerono, or lemniscate of Huygens, or figure-eight curve, is a plane algebraic curve of degree four and genus zero and is a lemniscate In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate is any of several figure-eight o ...

Lemniscate of Bernoulli In geometry, the lemniscate of Bernoulli is a plane curve defined from two given points and , known as foci, at distance from each other as the locus of points so that . The curve has a shape similar to the numeral 8 and to the ∞ symbol. I ...

Limaçon In geometry, a limaçon or limacon , also known as a limaçon of Pascal or Pascal's Snail, is defined as a roulette curve formed by the path of a point fixed to a circle when that circle rolls around the outside of a circle of equal radius. I ...

Cardioid In geometry, a cardioid () is a plane curve traced by a point on the perimeter of a circle that is rolling around a fixed circle of the same radius. It can also be defined as an epicycloid having a single cusp. It is also a type of sinusoidal ...

Limaçon trisectrix In geometry, a limaçon trisectrix is the name for the quartic plane curve that is a trisectrix that is specified as a limaçon. The shape of the limaçon trisectrix can be specified by other curves particularly as a rose, conchoid or epitro ...

* Ovals of Cassini *

Squircle A squircle is a shape intermediate between a square and a circle. There are at least two definitions of "squircle" in use, the most common of which is based on the superellipse. The word "squircle" is a portmanteau of the words "square" and "ci ...

* Trifolium Curve

=Degree 5

=Degree 6

= *

Astroid In mathematics, an astroid is a particular type of roulette curve: a hypocycloid with four cusps. Specifically, it is the locus of a point on a circle as it rolls inside a fixed circle with four times the radius. By double generation, it ...

Atriphtaloid An atriphtaloid, also called an atriphtothlassic curve, is type of sextic plane curve. It is given by the equation x^4 \left(x^2 + y^2\right) - \left(ax^2 - b\right)^2 = 0, where ''a'' and ''b'' are positive number In mathematics, the sign of ...

Nephroid In geometry, a nephroid () is a specific plane curve. It is a type of epicycloid in which the smaller circle's radius differs from the larger by a factor of one-half. Name Although the term ''nephroid'' was used to describe other curves, it was ...

Quadrifolium The quadrifolium (also known as four-leaved clover) is a type of rose curve with an angular frequency of 2. It has the polar equation: :r = a\cos(2\theta), \, with corresponding algebraic equation :(x^2+y^2)^3 = a^2(x^2-y^2)^2. \, Rotated ...

=Curve families of variable degree

= *

Epicycloid In geometry, an epicycloid is a plane curve produced by tracing the path of a chosen point on the circumference of a circle—called an ''epicycle''—which rolls without slipping around a fixed circle. It is a particular kind of roulette. Equati ...

* Epispiral *

Epitrochoid In geometry, an epitrochoid ( or ) is a roulette traced by a point attached to a circle of radius rolling around the outside of a fixed circle of radius , where the point is at a distance from the center of the exterior circle. The parametric ...

Hypocycloid In geometry, a hypocycloid is a special plane curve generated by the trace of a fixed point on a small circle that rolls within a larger circle. As the radius of the larger circle is increased, the hypocycloid becomes more like the cycloid crea ...

Lissajous curve A Lissajous curve , also known as Lissajous figure or Bowditch curve , is the graph of a system of parametric equations : x=A\sin(at+\delta),\quad y=B\sin(bt), which describe the superposition of two perpendicular oscillations in x and y dire ...

* Poinsot's spirals *

Rational normal curve In mathematics, the rational normal curve is a smooth, rational curve of degree in projective n-space . It is a simple example of a projective variety; formally, it is the Veronese variety when the domain is the projective line. For it is the ...

Rose curve A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

Curves with genus 1

* Bicuspid curve * Cassinoide *

Cubic curve In mathematics, a cubic plane curve is a plane algebraic curve defined by a cubic equation : applied to homogeneous coordinates for the projective plane; or the inhomogeneous version for the affine space determined by setting in such an eq ...

Elliptic curve In mathematics, an elliptic curve is a smooth, projective, algebraic curve of genus one, on which there is a specified point . An elliptic curve is defined over a field and describes points in , the Cartesian product of with itself. If ...

Watt's curve In mathematics, Watt's curve is a tricircular plane algebraic curve of degree six. It is generated by two circles of radius ''b'' with centers distance 2''a'' apart (taken to be at (±''a'', 0)). A line segment of length 2''c'' attaches to a p ...

Curves with genus > 1

Bolza surface In mathematics, the Bolza surface, alternatively, complex algebraic Bolza curve (introduced by ), is a compact Riemann surface of genus 2 with the highest possible order of the conformal automorphism group in this genus, namely GL_2(3) of order 48 ...

(genus 2) *

Klein quartic In hyperbolic geometry, the Klein quartic, named after Felix Klein, is a compact Riemann surface of genus with the highest possible order automorphism group for this genus, namely order orientation-preserving automorphisms, and automorphisms ...

(genus 3) *

Bring's curve In mathematics, Bring's curve (also called Bring's surface) is the curve given by the equations :v+w+x+y+z=v^2+w^2+x^2+y^2+z^2=v^3+w^3+x^3+y^3+z^3=0. It was named by after Erland Samuel Bring who studied a similar construction in 1786 in a Promot ...

(genus 4) *

Macbeath surface In Riemann surface theory and hyperbolic geometry, the Macbeath surface, also called Macbeath's curve or the Fricke–Macbeath curve, is the genus-7 Hurwitz surface. The automorphism group of the Macbeath surface is the simple group Projective line ...

(genus 7) *

Butterfly curve (algebraic) In mathematics, the algebraic butterfly curve is a plane algebraic curve of degree six, given by the equation :x^6 + y^6 = x^2. The butterfly curve has a single singularity with delta invariant three, which means it is a curve of genus se ...

(genus 7)

Curve families with variable genus

Polynomial lemniscate In mathematics, a polynomial lemniscate or ''polynomial level curve'' is a plane algebraic curve of degree 2n, constructed from a polynomial ''p'' with complex coefficients of degree ''n''. For any such polynomial ''p'' and positive real number ' ...

Fermat curve In mathematics, the Fermat curve is the algebraic curve in the complex projective plane defined in homogeneous coordinates (''X'':''Y'':''Z'') by the Fermat equation :X^n + Y^n = Z^n.\ Therefore, in terms of the affine plane its equation is :x^ ...

Sinusoidal spiral In algebraic geometry, the sinusoidal spirals are a family of curves defined by the equation in polar coordinates :r^n = a^n \cos(n \theta)\, where is a nonzero constant and is a rational number other than 0. With a rotation about the origin, ...

Superellipse A superellipse, also known as a Lamé curve after Gabriel Lamé, is a closed curve resembling the ellipse, retaining the geometric features of semi-major axis and semi-minor axis, and symmetry about them, but a different overall shape. In the ...

Hurwitz surface In Riemann surface theory and hyperbolic geometry, a Hurwitz surface, named after Adolf Hurwitz, is a compact Riemann surface with precisely 84(''g'' − 1) automorphisms, where ''g'' is the genus of the surface. This number is maximal by vir ...

Elkies trinomial curves Elkies trinomial curve C168 In number theory, the Elkies trinomial curves are certain hyperelliptic curves constructed by Noam Elkies which have the property that rational points on them correspond to trinomial polynomials giving an extension of Q ...

Hyperelliptic curve In algebraic geometry, a hyperelliptic curve is an algebraic curve of genus ''g'' > 1, given by an equation of the form y^2 + h(x)y = f(x) where ''f''(''x'') is a polynomial of degree ''n'' = 2''g'' + 1 > 4 or ''n'' = 2''g'' + 2 > 4 with ''n'' dist ...

Classical modular curve In number theory, the classical modular curve is an irreducible plane algebraic curve given by an equation :, such that is a point on the curve. Here denotes the -invariant. The curve is sometimes called , though often that notation is used fo ...

Cassini oval In geometry, a Cassini oval is a quartic plane curve defined as the locus (mathematics), locus of points in the plane (geometry), plane such that the Product_(mathematics), product of the distances to two fixed points (Focus (geometry), foci) is ...

Transcendental curves

Bowditch curve A Lissajous curve , also known as Lissajous figure or Bowditch curve , is the graph of a system of parametric equations : x=A\sin(at+\delta),\quad y=B\sin(bt), which describe the superposition of two perpendicular oscillations in x and y dir ...

Brachistochrone In physics and mathematics, a brachistochrone curve (), or curve of fastest descent, is the one lying on the plane between a point ''A'' and a lower point ''B'', where ''B'' is not directly below ''A'', on which a bead slides frictionlessly under ...

Butterfly curve (transcendental) The butterfly curve is a transcendental plane curve discovered by Temple H. Fay of University of Southern Mississippi in 1989. __TOC__ Equation The curve is given by the following parametric equations: :x = \sin t \!\left(e^ - 2\cos 4t - \ ...

Catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary (, ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, superficia ...

* Clélies *

Cochleoid In geometry, a cochleoid is a snail-shaped curve similar to a strophoid which can be represented by the polar equation :r=\frac, the Cartesian equation :(x^2+y^2)\arctan\frac=ay, or the parametric equations :x=\frac, \quad y=\frac. The coch ...

Cycloid In geometry, a cycloid is the curve traced by a point on a circle as it rolls along a straight line without slipping. A cycloid is a specific form of trochoid and is an example of a roulette, a curve generated by a curve rolling on another curve ...

Horopter The horopter was originally defined in geometric terms as the locus of points in space that make the same angle at each eye with the fixation point, although more recently in studies of binocular vision it is taken to be the locus of points in spa ...

* Isochrone **''Isochrone of Huygens'' (

Tautochrone A tautochrone or isochrone curve (from Greek prefixes tauto- meaning ''same'' or iso- ''equal'', and chrono ''time'') is the curve for which the time taken by an object sliding without friction in uniform gravity to its lowest point is independe ...

) ** Isochrone of Leibniz

** Isochrone of Varignon

*

Lamé curve A superellipse, also known as a Lamé curve after Gabriel Lamé, is a closed curve resembling the ellipse, retaining the geometric features of semi-major axis and semi-minor axis, and symmetry about them, but a different overall shape. In the ...

Pursuit curve In geometry, a curve of pursuit is a curve constructed by analogy to having a point or points representing pursuers and pursuees; the curve of pursuit is the curve traced by the pursuers. With the paths of the pursuer and pursuee parameterized ...

Rhumb line In navigation, a rhumb line, rhumb (), or loxodrome is an arc crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle, that is, a path with constant bearing as measured relative to true north. Introduction The effect of following a rhumb li ...

Sinusoid A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a mathematical curve defined in terms of the ''sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a smooth periodic function. It occurs often in ma ...

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Archimedean spiral The Archimedean spiral (also known as the arithmetic spiral) is a spiral named after the 3rd-century BC Greek mathematician Archimedes. It is the locus corresponding to the locations over time of a point moving away from a fixed point with a con ...

Cornu spiral An Euler spiral is a curve whose curvature changes linearly with its curve length (the curvature of a circular curve is equal to the reciprocal of the radius). Euler spirals are also commonly referred to as spiros, clothoids, or Cornu spirals. Eu ...

** Cotes' spiral **

Fermat's spiral A Fermat's spiral or parabolic spiral is a plane curve with the property that the area between any two consecutive full turns around the spiral is invariant. As a result, the distance between turns grows in inverse proportion to their distance f ...

** Galileo's spiralbr>
**

Hyperbolic spiral A hyperbolic spiral is a plane curve, which can be described in polar coordinates by the equation :r=\frac of a hyperbola. Because it can be generated by a circle inversion of an Archimedean spiral, it is called Reciprocal spiral, too.. Pierre ...

Lituus The word ''lituus'' originally meant a curved augural staff, or a curved war-trumpet in the ancient Latin language. This Latin word continued in use through the 18th century as an alternative to the vernacular names of various musical instruments ...

Logarithmic spiral A logarithmic spiral, equiangular spiral, or growth spiral is a self-similar spiral curve that often appears in nature. The first to describe a logarithmic spiral was Albrecht Dürer (1525) who called it an "eternal line" ("ewige Linie"). Mor ...

** Nielsen's spiral * Syntractrix *

Tractrix In geometry, a tractrix (; plural: tractrices) is the curve along which an object moves, under the influence of friction, when pulled on a horizontal plane by a line segment attached to a pulling point (the ''tractor'') that moves at a right ...

Trochoid In geometry, a trochoid () is a roulette curve formed by a circle rolling along a line. It is the curve traced out by a point fixed to a circle (where the point may be on, inside, or outside the circle) as it rolls along a straight line. If the ...

Piecewise constructions

Bézier curve A Bézier curve ( ) is a parametric curve used in computer graphics and related fields. A set of discrete "control points" defines a smooth, continuous curve by means of a formula. Usually the curve is intended to approximate a real-world shape t ...

Loess curve Local regression or local polynomial regression, also known as moving regression, is a generalization of the moving average and polynomial regression. Its most common methods, initially developed for scatterplot smoothing, are LOESS (locally es ...

* Lowess *

Ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinatio ...

Polygonal curve In geometry, a polygonal chain is a connected series of line segments. More formally, a polygonal chain is a curve specified by a sequence of points (A_1, A_2, \dots, A_n) called its vertices. The curve itself consists of the line segments co ...

** Maurer rose * Reuleaux triangle * Splines ** B-spline **

Nonuniform rational B-spline Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model using basis splines (B-splines) that is commonly used in computer graphics for representing curves and surfaces. It offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analyt ...

Fractal curves

Blancmange curve In mathematics, the blancmange curve is a self-affine curve constructible by midpoint subdivision. It is also known as the Takagi curve, after Teiji Takagi who described it in 1901, or as the Takagi–Landsberg curve, a generalization of the cur ...

De Rham curve In mathematics, a de Rham curve is a certain type of fractal curve named in honor of Georges de Rham. The Cantor function, Cesàro curve, Minkowski's question mark function, the Lévy C curve, the blancmange curve, and Koch curve are all special ...

Dragon curve A dragon curve is any member of a family of self-similar fractal curves, which can be approximated by recursive methods such as Lindenmayer systems. The dragon curve is probably most commonly thought of as the shape that is generated from repe ...

Koch curve The Koch snowflake (also known as the Koch curve, Koch star, or Koch island) is a fractal curve and one of the earliest fractals to have been described. It is based on the Koch curve, which appeared in a 1904 paper titled "On a Continuous Curv ...

Lévy C curve In mathematics, the Lévy C curve is a self-similar fractal curve that was first described and whose differentiability properties were analysed by Ernesto Cesàro in 1906 and Georg Faber in 1910, but now bears the name of French mathematician Pa ...

Sierpiński curve Sierpiński curves are a recursively defined sequence of continuous closed plane fractal curves discovered by Wacław Sierpiński, which in the limit n \to \infty completely fill the unit square: thus their limit curve, also called the Sierpiń ...

Space-filling curve In mathematical analysis, a space-filling curve is a curve whose range contains the entire 2-dimensional unit square (or more generally an ''n''-dimensional unit hypercube). Because Giuseppe Peano (1858–1932) was the first to discover one, space ...

(''Peano curve'') See also

List of fractals by Hausdorff dimension According to Benoit Mandelbrot, "A fractal is by definition a set for which the Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension strictly exceeds the topological dimension." Presented here is a list of fractals, ordered by increasing Hausdorff dimension, to illus ...

Space curves/Skew curves

* Conchospiral *

Helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helices, ...

Hemihelix A hemihelix is a curved geometric shape consisting of a series of helices with alternating chirality, connected by a perversion Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Althou ...

, a quasi-helical shape characterized by multiple tendril perversions **

Tendril perversion Tendril perversion is a geometric phenomenon sometimes observed in helical structures in which the direction of the helix transitions between left-handed and right-handed. Such a reversal of chirality is commonly seen in helical plant tendri ...

(a transition between back-to-back helices) *

Seiffert's spiral Seiffert's spherical spiral is a curve on a sphere made by moving on the sphere with constant speed and angular velocity with respect to a fixed diameter. If the selected diameter is the line from the north pole to the south pole, then the requir ...

br>
* Slinky spiralbr>
*

Twisted cubic In mathematics, a twisted cubic is a smooth, rational curve ''C'' of degree three in projective 3-space P3. It is a fundamental example of a skew curve. It is essentially unique, up to projective transformation (''the'' twisted cubic, therefore). ...

Viviani's curve In mathematics, Viviani's curve, also known as Viviani's window, is a figure eight shaped space curve named after the Italian mathematician Vincenzo Viviani. It is the intersection of a sphere with a cylinder that is tangent to the sphere and p ...

Curves generated by other curves

Caustic Caustic most commonly refers to: * Causticity, a property of various corrosive substances ** Sodium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic soda'' ** Potassium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic potash'' ** Calcium oxide, sometimes called ''caus ...

including Catacaustic and Diacaustic *

Cissoid In geometry, a cissoid (() is a plane curve generated from two given curves , and a point (the pole). Let be a variable line passing through and intersecting at and at . Let be the point on so that \overline = \overline. (There are actua ...

* Conchoid *

Evolute In the differential geometry of curves, the evolute of a curve is the locus of all its centers of curvature. That is to say that when the center of curvature of each point on a curve is drawn, the resultant shape will be the evolute of that curv ...

* Glissette *

Inverse curve In inversive geometry, an inverse curve of a given curve is the result of applying an inverse operation to . Specifically, with respect to a fixed circle with center and radius the inverse of a point is the point for which lies on the ray ...

Involute In mathematics, an involute (also known as an evolvent) is a particular type of curve that is dependent on another shape or curve. An involute of a curve is the locus of a point on a piece of taut string as the string is either unwrapped from or ...

Isoptic In the geometry of curves, an orthoptic is the set of points for which two tangents of a given curve meet at a right angle. Examples: # The orthoptic of a parabola is its directrix (proof: see below), # The orthoptic of an ellipse \tfrac + ...

including Orthoptic * Negative pedal curve ** Fish curve * Orthotomic *

Parallel curve A parallel of a curve is the envelope of a family of congruent circles centered on the curve. It generalises the concept of '' parallel (straight) lines''. It can also be defined as a curve whose points are at a constant '' normal distance'' f ...

Pedal curve A pedal (from the Latin '' pes'' ''pedis'', "foot") is a lever designed to be operated by foot and may refer to: Computers and other equipment * Footmouse, a foot-operated computer mouse * In medical transcription, a pedal is used to control ...

* Radial curve *

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

* Strophoid

Applied Mathematics/Statistics/Physics/Engineering

Bathtub curve The bathtub curve is widely used in reliability engineering and deterioration modeling. It describes a particular form of the hazard function which comprises three parts: *The first part is a decreasing failure rate, known as early failures. *Th ...

* Bell curve *

Calibration curve In analytical chemistry, a calibration curve, also known as a standard curve, is a general method for determining the concentration of a substance in an unknown sample by comparing the unknown to a set of standard samples of known concentration. ...

Curve of growth In astronomy, the curve of growth describes the equivalent width of a spectral line A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from emission or absorption of light in a narrow freque ...

(astronomy) * Fletcher–Munson curve *

Galaxy rotation curve The rotation curve of a disc galaxy (also called a velocity curve) is a plot of the orbital speeds of visible stars or gas in that galaxy versus their radial distance from that galaxy's centre. It is typically rendered graphically as a plot, and ...

Gompertz curve The Gompertz curve or Gompertz function is a type of mathematical model for a time series, named after Benjamin Gompertz (1779–1865). It is a sigmoid function which describes growth as being slowest at the start and end of a given time period. Th ...

Growth curve (statistics) The growth curve model in statistics is a specific multivariate linear model, also known as GMANOVA (Generalized Multivariate Analysis-Of-Variance). It generalizes MANOVA by allowing post-matrices, as seen in the definition. Definition Growth c ...

Kruithof curve The Kruithof curve describes a region of illuminance levels and color temperatures that are often viewed as comfortable or pleasing to an observer. The curve was constructed from psychophysical data collected by Dutch physicist Arie Andries K ...

Light curve In astronomy, a light curve is a graph of light intensity of a celestial object or region as a function of time, typically with the magnitude of light received on the y axis and with time on the x axis. The light is usually in a particular frequ ...

Logistic curve A logistic function or logistic curve is a common S-shaped curve (sigmoid function, sigmoid curve) with equation f(x) = \frac, where For values of x in the domain of real numbers from -\infty to +\infty, the S-curve shown on the right is ...

* Paschen curve * Robinson–Dadson curves *

Stress–strain curve In engineering and materials science, a stress–strain curve for a material gives the relationship between stress and strain. It is obtained by gradually applying load to a test coupon and measuring the deformation, from which the stress and ...

Economics/Business

* Contract curve *

Cost curve In economics, a cost curve is a graph of the costs of production as a function of total quantity produced. In a free market economy, productively efficient firms optimize their production process by minimizing cost consistent with each possible le ...

Demand curve In economics, a demand curve is a graph depicting the relationship between the price of a certain commodity (the ''y''-axis) and the quantity of that commodity that is demanded at that price (the ''x''-axis). Demand curves can be used either for ...

** Aggregate demand curve ** Compensated demand curve *

Engel curve In microeconomics, an Engel curve describes how household expenditure on a particular good or service varies with household income. There are two varieties of Engel curves. Budget share Engel curves describe how the proportion of household income s ...

* Hubbert curve *

Indifference curve In economics, an indifference curve connects points on a graph representing different quantities of two goods, points between which a consumer is ''indifferent''. That is, any combinations of two products indicated by the curve will provide the c ...

J curve A J curve is any of a variety of J-shaped diagrams where a curve initially falls, then steeply rises above the starting point. Political economy Balance of trade model In economics, the "J curve" is the time path of a country’s trade balance ...

Kuznets curve The Kuznets curve () expresses a hypothesis advanced by economist Simon Kuznets in the 1950s and 1960s. According to this hypothesis, as an economy develops, market forces first increase and then decrease economic inequality. The Kuznets curve ...

Laffer curve In economics, the Laffer curve illustrates a theoretical relationship between rates of taxation and the resulting levels of the government's tax revenue. The Laffer curve assumes that no tax revenue is raised at the extreme tax rates of 0% and ...

Lorenz curve In economics, the Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the distribution of income or of wealth. It was developed by Max O. Lorenz in 1905 for representing Economic inequality, inequality of the wealth distribution. The curve is a graph o ...

Phillips curve The Phillips curve is an economic model, named after William Phillips hypothesizing a correlation between reduction in unemployment and increased rates of wage rises within an economy. While Phillips himself did not state a linked relationship ...

* Supply curve ** Aggregate supply curve ** Backward bending supply curve of labor

Medicine/Biology

Cardiac function curve A cardiac function curve is a graph showing the relationship between right atrial pressure (x-axis) and cardiac output (y-axis).Superimposition of the cardiac function curve and venous return curve is used in one hemodynamic model. __TOC__ Shape ...

* Dose–response curve *

Growth curve (biology) A growth curve is an empirical model of the evolution of a quantity over time. Growth curves are widely used in biology for quantities such as population size or biomass (in population ecology and demography, for population growth analysis), in ...

Oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation curve The oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation curve, also called the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve or oxygen dissociation curve (ODC), is a curve that plots the proportion of hemoglobin in its saturated (oxygen-laden) form on the vertical axis against ...

Psychology

Forgetting curve The forgetting curve hypothesizes the decline of memory retention in time. This curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. A related concept is the strength of memory that refers to the durability that m ...

Learning curve A learning curve is a graphical representation of the relationship between how Skill, proficient people are at a task and the amount of experience they have. Proficiency (measured on the vertical axis) usually increases with increased experience ...

Ecology

* Species–area curve

External links

Famous Curves IndexTwo Dimensional Curves"Courbes 2D" at Encyclopédie des Formes Mathématiques Remarquables"Courbes 3D" at Encyclopédie des Formes Mathématiques Remarquables
*''An elementary treatise on cubic and quartic curves'' by Alfred Barnard Basset (1901
online at Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curves * * Lists of shapes