In mathematics, the winding number of a closed curve in the plane around a given point is an integer representing the total number of times that curve travels counterclockwise around the point. The winding number depends on the orientation of the curve, and is negative if the curve travels around the point clockwise.
Winding numbers are fundamental objects of study in algebraic topology, and they play an important role in vector calculus, complex analysis, geometric topology, differential geometry, and physics, including string theory.
Read more about Winding Number: Intuitive Description, Formal Definition, Alternative Definitions, Turning Number, Winding Number and Heisenberg Ferromagnet Equations
Famous quotes containing the words winding and/or number:
“The harlot’s cry from street to street
Shall weave old England’s winding sheet.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“I can’t quite define my aversion to asking questions of strangers. From snatches of family battles which I have heard drifting up from railway stations and street corners, I gather that there are a great many men who share my dislike for it, as well as an equal number of women who ... believe it to be the solution to most of this world’s problems.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)