Parallel Curve
A parallel of a curve is the envelope of a family of congruent circles centered on the curve. It generalises the concept of parallel lines. It can also be defined as a curve whose points are at a fixed normal distance of a given curve.
It is sometimes called the offset curve but the term "offset" often refers also to translation. The term "offset curve" is used, e.g., in numerically controlled machining (and in other computer graphics applications), where it describes the shape of the cut made by a round cutting piece, which is "offset" from the trajectory of the cutter by a constant distance in the direction normal to the cutter trajectory at every point.
A curve that is a parallel of itself is autoparallel. The involute of a circle is an example.
Read more about Parallel Curve: Alternative Definitions, Parametric Curve, Geometric Properties, Self-parallel Spirals
Famous quotes containing the words parallel and/or curve:
“As I look at the human story I see two stories. They run parallel and never meet. One is of people who live, as they can or must, the events that arrive; the other is of people who live, as they intend, the events they create.”
—Margaret Anderson (1886–1973)
“In philosophical inquiry, the human spirit, imitating the movement of the stars, must follow a curve which brings it back to its point of departure. To conclude is to close a circle.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)