Encyclopedia

center of curvature

Also found in: Dictionary, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia.

center of curvature

[′sen·tər əv ′kər·və·chər]
(mathematics)
At a given point on a curve, the center of the osculating circle of the curve at that point.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
You move the tester to bring the light close to the block and near the center of curvature. Then, slide the block up or down so the light returned by the main mirror is at the height of the viewing aperture.
The double-pass knife-edge test
It has a center of curvature, and as long as the centers of curvature of the secondary elements are in line with that of the primary we are in good shape.
A short Newtonian with a spherical mirror
The test is quantitative since the fringe spacing corresponds to 1/2 wave on a mirror's surface when the interferometer is located at the center of curvature. If we are testing a telescope by autocollimated light with the help of an optical flat, the fringe spacing equals 1/2 wave on the wavefront.
Build your own interferometer
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.