In
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
, particularly in
differential geometry
Differential geometry is a Mathematics, mathematical discipline that studies the geometry of smooth shapes and smooth spaces, otherwise known as smooth manifolds. It uses the techniques of Calculus, single variable calculus, vector calculus, lin ...
, an osculating plane is a
plane in a
Euclidean space
Euclidean space is the fundamental space of geometry, intended to represent physical space. Originally, in Euclid's ''Elements'', it was the three-dimensional space of Euclidean geometry, but in modern mathematics there are ''Euclidean spaces ...
or
affine space
In mathematics, an affine space is a geometric structure that generalizes some of the properties of Euclidean spaces in such a way that these are independent of the concepts of distance and measure of angles, keeping only the properties relat ...
which meets a
submanifold
In mathematics, a submanifold of a manifold M is a subset S which itself has the structure of a manifold, and for which the inclusion map S \rightarrow M satisfies certain properties. There are different types of submanifolds depending on exactly ...
at a
point in such a way as to have a second order of
contact at the point. The word ''osculate'' is ; an osculating plane is thus a plane which "kisses" a submanifold.
The osculating plane in the geometry of Euclidean space curves can be described in terms of the
Frenet-Serret formulas as the
linear span
In mathematics, the linear span (also called the linear hull or just span) of a set S of elements of a vector space V is the smallest linear subspace of V that contains S. It is the set of all finite linear combinations of the elements of , and ...
of the tangent and normal vectors.
See also
*
Normal plane (geometry)
*
Osculating circle
An osculating circle is a circle that best approximates the curvature of a curve at a specific point. It is tangent to the curve at that point and has the same curvature as the curve at that point. The osculating circle provides a way to unders ...
*
References
{{Reflist
Differential geometry