Frenet Frame

Mathematics 146 - Introduction to Differential Geometry

Institute of Mathematics
University of the Philippines-Diliman

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A Useful Lemma
Lemma
Let f , g : I → R3 be differentiable with f (t ) · g (t ) = c , for all t ∈ I , for
some c ∈ R. Then

f 0 (t ) · g (t ) = − f (t ) · g 0 (t ).

In particular, || f || is constant if and only if f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0, for all t .

Proof. By the product rule of differentiation on f (t ) · g (t ) = c ,

f 0 (t ) · g (t ) + f (t ) · g 0 (t ) = 0,
which now gives
f 0 (t ) · g (t ) = − f (t ) · g 0 (t ).
In particular, if || f || is constant then || f (t )||2 = f (t ) · f (t ) = k , for
some positive constant k . It then ¡follows that f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0.
0
Conversely, if f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0 then f (t ) · f (t ) (t ) = 2 f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0,
¢

which further implies that || f (t )||2 = f (t ) · f (t ) is constant. 2

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Frenet Frame
Let α : [0, L] → R3 be a regular curve parametrized by arclength.
Then α0 (s 0 ) is tangent to the curve at the point α(s 0 ), ∀s 0 ∈ [0, L].
Moreover, ||α0 (s)|| = 1 for all s , i.e, α0 (s) is a unit vector function.
This derivative is called the unit tangent vector to the curve, which
is denoted by T ~ (s). That is,
~ (s) = α0 (s).
T
~ has constant length, then T
Since T ~ 0 (s) is orthogonal to T
~ (s).
~ 0 ~ ~
Assuming that T (s) 6= 0, the vector N defined by
~ 0 (s)
T
~ (s) =
N
~ 0 (s)||
||T
is called the principal normal vector to the curve. Furthermore, the
cross-product of the unit tangent and principal normal vectors is
called the binormal vector of the curve, denoted by B~ (s). We write
~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s).

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Frenet Frame
~, N
The three vectors T ~ and B~ are mutually orthogonal. Why?
~ ~
Moreover, T and N are both unit vectors and are perpendicular,
~ is also unit. Why?
and so, the binormal vector B
Frenet Frame
For an arclength parametrized regular curve α, the three mutually
~, N
orthogonal unit vectors T ~ and B
~ defined by

~ 0 (s)
T
~ (s) = α0 (s)
T ~ (s) =
N ~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s)
~ 0 (s)||
||T

form a right-handed orthonormal basis for R3 chosen at each point

on the curve called the Frenet-Serret frame or simply Frenet frame
of α.
Remark: A regular curve parametrized by arclength is called
biregular if α00 (s) 6=~0. Geometrically, a biregular curve is one that
has a defined Frenet frame at every point on the curve.
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Example 1. Calculate the Frenet frame of the helix
³ ³s´ ³ s ´ ³ s ´´
α(s) = a cos , a sin ,b ,
c c c
p
where a ∈ R+ , b ∈ R\{0}, and let c = a 2 + b 2 .
Solution. Differentiating α with respect to arclength, we get
1³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) = α0 (s) =
T −a sin , a cos ,b .
c c c
Now, it follows that
1 ³ ³s´ ³s´ ´ a
~ 0 (s) =
T −a cos , −a sin ~ 0 (s)|| = .
, 0 and ||T
c 2 c c c2
Thus,
~ 0 (s)
T ³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) =
N = − cos , − sin ,0 .
~ 0 (s)||
||T c c
Finally,
1³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s) = b sin , −b cos ,a .
c c c
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Frenet frame of a helix with b > 0

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Torsion and the Frenet formulas
Definition
Let α be a biregular curve parametrized by arclength with Frenet
frame {T~ (s), N
~ (s), B
~ (s)}. The quantity τ given by

~ 0 (s) · B
τ(s) = N ~ (s)

is called the torsion of α.

Since the Frenet frame is an orthonormal basis for R3 , each of the
~ 0, N
the derivatives T ~ 0 , and B
~ 0 must be a linear combination of T
~,
~ ~
N , and B .
Frenet Formulas
~ 0 (s) = κ(s)N
T ~ (s)
~ 0 (s) = −κ(s)T
N ~ (s) + τ(s)B
~ (s)
~ 0 (s) = −τ(s)N
B ~ (s)
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The Frenet formulas can be remembered easily using the following
matrix equation:

~ 0 (s) ~ 
  
T 0 κ(s) 0 T (s)
~ 0   ~ 
N (s) = −κ(s) 0 τ(s) N (s)

~ 0 (s)
B 0 −τ(s) 0 ~ (s)
B

Note that the 3 × 3 coefficient matrix on the right-hand side is

skew-symmetric.

Remark. By definition, the curvature κ is always nonnegative while

the torsion τ has a sign (can be negative, zero, or positive).

Example 2. Use the Frenet formulas to deduce that the curvature

and torsion, respectively, of a helix described in Example 1 are
a b
κ(s) = and τ(s) = 2 .
c2 c

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Some observations:
1 For a helix, the curvature and torsion are constants.
2 The curvature is positive (since a > 0) while the torsion can be
positive or negative (depending on b ). In particular, the
torsion is positive if b > 0, i.e., the helix is right-handed
(twisted counterclockwise), and negative when b < 0, i.e., the
helix is left-handed (twisted clockwise).
3 For a fix a > 0, as b → 0, the helix becomes almost planar and
τ(s) → 0. On the other hand, as b → +∞, the helix twists
extremely slowly and looks more like a straight line on the
cylinder, but still, τ(s) → 0.

For a fixed a > 0, what is the torsion of the most twisted helix?
1
The largest possible torsion of a helix of radius a is 2a which
happens when b = a . That is, when the slope of the helix is 1.

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Non-unit Speed Curves
Let α : I → R3 be a biregular curve, possibly of non-unit speed. The
unit tangent, principal normal and binormal vectors of α are given
by
α0 (t ) ~ 0 (t )
T
~ (t ) =
T ~ (t ) =
N ~ (t ) = T
B ~ (t ) × N
~ (t ).
||α0 (t )|| ~ 0 (t )||
||T
Recall that any regular curve can be parametrized using arclength
via the relation Z t
s(t ) = ||α0 (u)|| d u,
t0
which implies that s 0 (t ) = ||α0 (t )||. Then by Chain Rule,
~ 0 (t ) = T
T ~ 0 (s) s 0 (t ) = T
~ 0 (s)||α0 (t )||
~ 0 (t )|| = ||T
||T ~ 0 (s)|| ||α0 (t )|| = κ(s)||α0 (t )||.

Hence, the curvature is given by

~ 0 (t )||
||T
κ(t ) = κ(s) = .
||α0 (t )|| 10 / 12
Identities for non-unit speed curves
In a similar manner, by Chain Rule,
~ 0 (t ) = B
B ~ 0 (s)s 0 (t ) = B
~ 0 (s)||α0 (t )||.

~ (s) = N
Letting N ~ (φ(s)) = N
~ (t ), B
~ (s) = B
~ (φ(s)) = B
~ (t ), τ(s) = τ(t ),
and using the third Frenet formula, we get
~ 0 (t )
B ~ (t ) · B
N ~ 0 (t )
~ (t ) =
−τ(t )N or τ(t ) = − .
||α0 (t )|| ||α0 (t )||

Summary
α0 (t ) ~ 0 (t )
T
~ (t ) =
T ~ (t ) =
N ~ (t ) = T
B ~ (t ) × N
~ (t )
||α0 (t )|| ~ 0 (t )||
||T
~ 0 (t )||
||T ~ (t ) · B
N ~ 0 (t )
curvature: κ(t ) = torsion: τ(t ) = −
||α0 (t )|| ||α0 (t )||
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HOMEWORK

Calculate the Frenet apparatus, i.e., the vectors T ~ (t ), N

~ (t ), and
~
B (t ), curvature κ(t ), and torsion τ(t ), of the curve

α(t ) = (cosh t , sinh t , t ) .

NOT to be submitted: Show that for a regular curve α, not

necessarily of unit-speed, the curvature and torsion are given by

||α0 (t ) × α00 (t )|| α0 (t ) · α00 (t ) × α000 (t )

¡ ¢
κ(t ) = and τ(t ) = .
||α0 (t )||3 ||α0 (t ) × α00 (t )||2

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