lituus A spiral curve that was discovered by the English mathematician Roger Cotes (1682-1716) and named by the Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin in 1722. The Latin lituus refers to a staff shaped like a bishop's crosier. The lituus is the locus of a point that moves in such a manner that the area of a circular sector remains constant. The equation of the curve in polar coordiantes is Related category PLANE CURVES Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) |