| Dictionary: French curve |
|
| (Click to enlarge) |
| French curve |
| (© School Division, Houghton Mifflin Company) |
| 5min Related Video: French curve |
| Wikipedia: French curve |
A French curve is a template made out of plastic, metal or wood composed of many different curves. It is used in manual drafting to draw smooth curves of varying radii.
The curve is placed on the drawing material, and a pencil, knife or other implement is traced around its curves to produce the desired result.
The image on the right shows the three most common French curves; this set is also known as the Burmester set. The one on the far left side is most commonly used for hyperbolas; the smaller one on the far right side is suited for ellipses. The large one below is used most for parabolas.[1]
Modern computer-aided drafting (CAD) systems use vector-based graphics to achieve a precise radius, so no template is required.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Best of the Web: French curve |
Some good "French curve" pages on the web:
 Math mathworld.wolfram.com |
 | curvet |
| Lissajous |
| Extrapolation |
 | What do you use a french curve for? Read answer... |
| What is a French Curve used for? Read answer... |
| Who first designed French curve tools? Read answer... |
 | What can't you draw with a french curve? |
| What are governing equations of french curve shapes? |
| What function can't you do with the French Curve drafting tool spirals circles? |
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "French curve". Read more |
