Curvature Meaning
/ˈkɜɹ.və.tʃəɹ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe shape of something curved.
nounThe extent to which a subspace is curved within a metric space.
Sentence Examples
The curvature of the Earth was first photographed in 1931.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The lens corrected the ____ of his cornea to improve vision.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the Earth was first photographed in 1931.
Word Origin & History
From Latin curvare, from Latin curvatura. See also curve. Displaced native Old English ġebīeġednes.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Constructional costs are kept to a minimum by the admissibility of heavy grades and sharp curvature."
— 1946 May and June, “Logging Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 151:
"In the first of the movie's many striking images, we share his majestic view from the top, the curvature of the planet and the glow of the horizon brilliantly reflected in his helmet."
— 2018 October 9, A. A. Dowd, “The Star and Director of La La Land Reunite for First Man’s Spectacular Trip to the Moon”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2020:
"A turtle drawing an ellipse would have to turn more per distance traveled to get around its “pointy” sides than to get around its flatter top and bottom. This notion of how “pointy something is,” expressed as the ratio of angle turned to distance traveled, is the intrinsic quantity that mathematicians call curvature."
— 1980, Harold Abelson, Andrea DiSessa, Turtle Geometry : The Computer as a Medium for Exploring Mathematics, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, archived from the original on 26 Jun 2021, pages 13–14:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The lens corrected the ____ of his cornea to improve vision.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the Earth was first photographed in 1931.