French curve
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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 get a smooth curve 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.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Weisstein, Eric W. French Curve from MathWorld.
- Use of the French Curve from Integrated Publishing.
