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Arc length s of a logarithmic spiral as a function of its parameter θ. Arc length is the distance between two points along a section of a curve. Development of a formulation of arc length suitable for applications to mathematics and the sciences is a focus of calculus.
In geometry, the sagitta (sometimes abbreviated as sag [1]) of a circular arc is the distance from the midpoint of the arc to the midpoint of its chord. [2] It is used extensively in architecture when calculating the arc necessary to span a certain height and distance and also in optics where it is used to find the depth of a spherical mirror ...
The arc length, from the familiar geometry of a circle, is s = θ R {\displaystyle s={\theta }R} The area a of the circular segment is equal to the area of the circular sector minus the area of the triangular portion (using the double angle formula to get an equation in terms of θ {\displaystyle \theta } ):
Functions that maximize or minimize functionals may be found using the Euler–Lagrange equation of the calculus of variations. A simple example of such a problem is to find the curve of shortest length connecting two points. If there are no constraints, the solution is a straight line between the points. However, if the curve is constrained to ...
A parametric C r-curve or a C r-parametrization is a vector-valued function: that is r-times continuously differentiable (that is, the component functions of γ are continuously differentiable), where , {}, and I is a non-empty interval of real numbers.
This article uses the standard notation ISO 80000-2, which supersedes ISO 31-11, for spherical coordinates (other sources may reverse the definitions of θ and φ): . The polar angle is denoted by [,]: it is the angle between the z-axis and the radial vector connecting the origin to the point in question.
In several natural phenomena one may find curves that are close to being logarithmic spirals. Here follow some examples and reasons: The approach of a hawk to its prey in classical pursuit, assuming the prey travels in a straight line. Their sharpest view is at an angle to their direction of flight; this angle is the same as the spiral's pitch. [7]
The great-circle distance, orthodromic distance, or spherical distance is the distance between two points on a sphere, measured along the great-circle arc between them. This arc is the shortest path between the two points on the surface of the sphere. (By comparison, the shortest path passing through the sphere's interior is the chord between ...