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Frenet-Serret formulas

Geometry

The Frenet-Serret formulas describe the kinematic properties of a particle moving along a differentiable curve in three-dimensional Euclidean space, or the geometric properties of the curve itself irrespective of any motion. They give the derivatives of the tangent, normal and binormal unit vectors, called T, N and B, in terms of each other: along the arclength, the derivative of T is the curvature times N, the derivative of N is minus the curvature times T plus the torsion times B, and the derivative of B is minus the torsion times N. Curvature measures how far a curve is from being a straight line, and torsion measures how far it is from being planar. The formulas are named after two French mathematicians who discovered them independently, Jean Frédéric Frenet in his thesis of 1847 and Joseph Alfred Serret in 1851, before the vector notation and linear algebra used to write them today were available. The three vectors form an orthonormal basis, the Frenet-Serret frame, which moves along the curve, and the frame is used in physics, for example in relativity theory, and in models of microbial motion.

Facts
Proof Year
1847 1
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Has Statement Form

Equation, Concepts
Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)

In Branch

Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)

Named After

Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)
Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)

Principal Result Of

Source Jean Frédéric Frenet (Wikipedia)
Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)

Proved By

Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)
Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)
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Source Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)Applications and interpretation, Applications
Quote, Applications and interpretation, Applications
Such is often the case, for instance, in relativity theory.
Sources
1. MacTutor History of Mathematics: Jean Frédéric Frenet (MacTutor)
MacTutor History of MathematicsBiography, thesis
Quote, Biography, thesis
he wrote a doctoral thesis there which he submitted in 1847
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Frenet-Serret formulas (Wikipedia)
  • Applications and interpretation, Applications
    Such is often the case, for instance, in relativity theory.
  • In Branch: Differential Geometry, Lead
    In differential geometry, the Frenet-Serret formulas describe the kinematic properties
  • In Group: Differential Geometry, Lead, topic area
    In differential geometry, the Frenet-Serret formulas describe the kinematic properties
  • Proved By: Jean Frédéric Frenet, Lead, discoverers
    The formulas are named after the two French mathematicians who independently discovered them: Jean Frédéric Frenet, in his thesis of 1847, and Joseph Alfred Serret, in 1851.
  • Proved By: Joseph Alfred Serret, Lead, discoverers (Serret)
    The formulas are named after the two French mathematicians who independently discovered them: Jean Frédéric Frenet, in his thesis of 1847, and Joseph Alfred Serret, in 1851.
  • Named After: Jean Frédéric Frenet, Lead, eponyms
    The formulas are named after the two French mathematicians who independently discovered them: Jean Frédéric Frenet, in his thesis of 1847, and Joseph Alfred Serret, in 1851.
  • Named After: Joseph Alfred Serret, Lead, eponyms (Serret)
    The formulas are named after the two French mathematicians who independently discovered them: Jean Frédéric Frenet, in his thesis of 1847, and Joseph Alfred Serret, in 1851.
  • Has Statement Form: Equation, Lead, formulas
    The Frenet-Serret formulas are:
  • Principal Result Of: Joseph Alfred Serret, Lead, discoverers (Serret)
    The formulas are named after the two French mathematicians who independently discovered them: Jean Frédéric Frenet, in his thesis of 1847, and Joseph Alfred Serret, in 1851.
View the Source
Jean Frédéric Frenet (Wikipedia)
Principal Result Of: Jean Frédéric Frenet, Lead, best known
Quote, Principal Result Of: Jean Frédéric Frenet, Lead, best known
He is best known for being an independent co-discoverer of the Frenet-Serret formulas.
View the Source
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