UNIT2: DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY OF A 3D-CURVE

KEY FORMULAS& WORKED EXAMPLES

Various Forms of presenting a 3D-Curve

: I 3
; t  r (t )

(1)  : r  r (t )  x(t )i  y (t ) j  z (t )k : Vector form

(2)  : x  x(t ); y  (t ); z  z(t ) : Parametric form

 F ( x, y , z )  0
 :
(3)
G ( x, y, z )  0 : Intersection of 2 surfaces

(4)  : r  r ( s ); r (s)  1 : Arclength parametrization

s   r (t ) dt  
t1 t1
x2  y2  z2 dt : - Arclength of a curve
t0 t0

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Example1: vector& parametric equations

 : r (t )  et i  e  t j  4tk

 x  et

 :  y  et
 z  4t

Example2: Arbitrary parametrization &arclength parametrization

r (t )  (cos t ,sin t , t )
s s s
r ( s)  (cos ,sin , )
2 2 2

Helix

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Example3: Intersection of two surfaces and parametric equations

 x  x(t )
 F ( x, y , z )  0 
 :  :  y  y (t )
G ( x, y, z )  0  z  z (t )


 x  1  cos t
 x  y  z  4 
2 2 2

 :  :  y  sin t
 x  y  2 x  0  z  2sin 0.5t
2 2


Vivian window

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 TNB Frame or Frenet Frame

 : r  r ( s ); r (s)  1

 The unit tangent vector:  ( s)  r ( s) and  ( s )   ( s ) .

 (s)
 The principal normal vector:  ( s) 


 The binormal vector:    , 

TNB Frame

 The osculating plane is spanned by  (s) and (s)

 The rectifying plane is spanned by  ( s) and  ( s )

 The normal plane is spanned by ( s) and  ( s )

At every point on the curve the three vectors  , ,   form the

Frenet frame or TNB frame.

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For an arbitrary parametrization:  : r  r (t )
 The equations of the Tangent (T ) , Principal normal ( N ) and binormal
B lines are respectively governed by:

T : r  ro   r0
N : r  ro    r0,  r0, r0

B : r  ro    r0, r0

 The equations of osculating(  O ), normal(  N ) and rectifying

(  R )planes are governed by

 o : r  r0 , r0, r0  0
 n : r  ro , r0  0
 r : r  ro , r0,  r0, r0  0
 F ( x, y , z )  0
If  :  ,
G ( x. y, z )  0
then the equation of the Tangent and Normal lines are:

TP : r  rP   F , G 
P

N P : r  rP , F , G  0
P

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Frenet-Serret equations


   0 k 0   
    
    k 0    
    0  0    
 
Computation formula for Curvature and torsion of a 3D curve

 If  : r  r (s) :Arc length parametrization

k r   : curvature
2
r,r, r
 2
   , : torsion
k

 If  : r  r (t ) : Arbitrary parametrization
 r , r 
k ; curvature
r
3

r , r , r 

 r , r  : torsion
2

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. Let  : r  r (s) , If r (0)  0 , then for s near 0 we have:
1 2 1
r ( s)  r (0)  sr (0)  s r (0)  s 3 r (0)  ...
2 6

 k02   k0 2 k0 3  k  
r ( s)   s  s  ...  0   s  s  ...  0   0 0 s 3  ...   0
 6  2 6   6 

The projections of  : r  r (s) into the:

 k0 2 
 Osculating plane:  2
s , s  ...  : parabola
 
 k  
 Rectifying plane:  s, s  ...  : cubic parabola
0 0 3

 6 

 2 2 0 3 

 Normal plane:  s , s  ...  : semi-cubic parabola
3 k0 
 

Parabola Cubic parabola Semi-cubic parabola

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Worked Example

Consider the 3D curve governed by equation  : r  (a cos t , a sin t , bt )

 Find the arclength parametrization of the curve
 Determine the unit vectors and write down the equations of
lines and planes of TNB frame (Frenet frame)
 Find the curvature and torsion of the curve.
 Write down the Frenet-Serret equations

Solution
Arclength parametrization

r  (a cos t , a sin t , bt )
r  (a sin t , a cos t , b); r   a  b
2 2

t t
s   r (u ) du   x2  y2  z 2 du
0 0

s
t t 
t
s(t )   a  b du  a  b
2 2 2 2

0 a 2  b2
The arclength parametrization of the curve is:
s s s
 : r ( s)  (a cos , a sin ,b )
a b
2 2
a b
2 2
a b
2 2

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Unit vectors of TNB frame

Posing: c  a 2  b2 :
1 s s  1 s s 
   a sin , a cos , b  ,  2  a cos , a sin , 0  ,
c c c  c  c c 
a a
k   
c2 a 2  b2
1  s s 
      cos ,  sin , 0 
k 
c c 

1 s s 
   ,    b sin , b cos , a 
c c  c 

b s s  b
 2 
cos ,sin , 0    
c  c c  c 2

Using Frenet Serret equations


   0 k 0   
    
     k 0    
   0  0    
 

a b
k       ,  2 2
a 2  b2 ; a b

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Equations of TNB frame lines and planes
s s s
If  : r ( s)  (a cos , a sin , b ); c  a 2  b 2
c c c
The equations of Tangent, principal normal and Binormal lines are

T : r  r0  
N : r  r0  
B : r  r0  
The equations of osculating, normal and rectifying planes are:

 0 : r  r0    
 N : r0    
 R : r  r0    
1 s s   s s 
   a sin , a cos , b  ,     cos ,  sin , 0 
c  c c  c c 
1 s s 
   b sin , b cos , a  ; r0  ( x0 , y0 , z0 )
c c c 

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Torsion and curvature using arbitrary parametrization:

 : r  (a cos t , a sin t , bt ) , r  (a sin t , a cos t , b),

r  (a cos t , a sin t ,0); r   (a sin t , a cos t ,0)

 r , r   (ab sin t , ab cos t , a 2 ); r  a 2  b2

 r , r 
2
 a 2 (a 2  b 2 ); r , r , r   a 2b

 r , r  r , r , r  b

k
a
 2 2  
 r, r a 2  b2
2
r
3
a b

The equations of lines and planes of TNB frame at the point P are :

T : r  r0   r0
N : r  r0    r0,  r0, r0

B : r  r0    r0, r0
 o : r  r0 , r0, r0  0

 n : r  r0 , r0  0
 r : r  r0 , r0,  r0, r0  0
r0 :radius vector of the point P ( x0 , y0 , z0 ) on the curve for t  t0 .
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