What is the set of all points the same distance from a center point on a flat surface?
AnswerA circle
A circle is every point in a plane at a fixed distance, the radius, from its center.
Science · Facts & stats
Curve facts & stats
7 fact-checked facts about curves in math, each with the reason behind it. 5 more are in today's round and join this page after it closes.
The basics
Ignoring air resistance, a thrown ball follows what shape of path?
AnswerA parabola
With constant gravity and no air resistance, a projectile's path is a parabola.
Going deeper
According to Kepler, planets orbit the Sun in what shape?
AnswerEllipse
Kepler's first law states each planet moves in an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.
Circles, ellipses, parabolas and hyperbolas can all be made by slicing what shape?
AnswerA cone
These curves are called conic sections because they come from cutting a double cone with a plane.
How many radians are in a full circle?
Answer2π
A full turn is 2π radians, equal to 360 degrees.
Expert level
What is the curve formed by a chain or cable hanging freely between two supports?
AnswerCatenary
A hanging chain forms a catenary, which looks similar to a parabola but follows a hyperbolic cosine.
The shell of the chambered nautilus closely follows which type of spiral?
AnswerLogarithmic spiral
The nautilus grows in a logarithmic spiral, keeping the same shape as each chamber gets larger.
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