Curve

A word used to indicate any path, whether actually curved or straight, closed or open. A curve can be on a plane or in three-dimensional space (or n-dimensional space, for that matter). Lines, circles, arcs, parabolas, polygons, and helixes are all types of curves.

Note: Typically curves are thought of as the set of all geometric figures that can be parametrized using a single parameter. This is not in fact accurate, but it is a useful way to conceptualize curves. The exceptions to this rule require some cleverness, or at least some exposure to space-filling curves.

See also

Surface, solid, arc length of a curve