August 31, 2014

Curve stitching is a form of string art where

smooth curves are created through the use
of straight lines. Curve stitching is a craft in
which a series of geometric forms are used
to create the appearance of a curve. While
curved stitched designs appear to have
complex, graceful curves and a three
dimensional aspect, they are actually
totally flat, and comprised entirely of
straight lines.
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English mathematician Mary Everest Boole is
generally given the credit for inventing
curve stitching. She developed the
technique in the early 1900s as an aid for
teachers who wanted an interactive
method for introducing children to
geometry. Curve stitching continues to be
used for this purpose, in addition to being
popular with some crafters.

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A geometric shape is drawn on the stitching
surface, and then a needle and thread are
used to create a series of straight lines running
back and forth from one side of the shape to
the other. Each side of the shape is pierced
several times with the thread, creating a series
of connections between it and a neighboring
side. As the lines intersect, the suggestion of a
curve is created at the intersections of the line,
with the curve appearing more realistic the
more lines there are.

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A parabola is a curve where any point is at
an equal distance from:
a fixed point (the focus), and
a fixed straight line (the directrix)
Reflector Property
A parabola has this amazing property:
Any ray parallel to the axis of symmetry
gets reflected off the surface straight to the
focus.


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Uses of a Parabola
satellite dishes,
radar dishes,
concentrating the sun's rays to make a hot
spot,
the reflector on spotlights and torches,
They are used for math and science. They are
used in flashlights, solar cooking, throwing or
kicking a ball, suspension bridges, and diving.

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A parabola quadrilateral
is a normal
quadrilateral in which
the angles have been
used to make a
parabola. With this as
a base, angles of
cubes and cuboids
are also used to make
parabolae which form
beautiful and intricate
designs.
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If you use the lines that connect up the center of
a regular polygon to each of the sides, you get
star figures made out of your parabolas.
The process of creating parabolic sections can
be done with any angle and you can use
angles that make polygons and use the
process on all of the sides. Here I have used a
pentagon as the base and constructed a 3-D
star using the process of constructing
parabolas.

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An ellipse is the set of all points on a plane whose
distance from two fixed points F and G add up
to a constant. An ellipse usually looks like
a squashed circle. It is defined by two special
points called foci. F is a focus and G is a
focus so together they are called foci. Ellipse is
a conic section (a section of a cone).

The ellipse also has the reflective property which
has been useful in medicine, to create a
machine to destroy kidney stones and
gallstones called a lithotripter. It uses
shockwaves to crush kidney stones into tiny
pieces that are easier for the body to dispose
of. This is a very useful and important
application of the reflective property of an
ellipse.
"The Whisper Chamber" at the United States
capital is another example. Stand at one focus
and you can perfectly hear someone
whispering at the other focus, though it is much
too far away to hear.

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Concentric circles are also
mainly used as designs
and for decoration. They
can be very intricately
designed and are
sometimes so very
complicate that they
cant be remade or
traced back to the first
step. They are indeed
very beautiful
masterpieces of curve
stitching.

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A heart is made with combinations of different
types of curve stitching designs. It is a
combination of a cardioid, an ellipse and a
concentric circle. This design may not
exactly look like a heart but is the closest
design possible to a heart. It can also be
more intricate and closer to the shape of a
heart but can be done with the help of a
computer.
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From this project, I have explored deeply into
the geometric world and learned how
interesting and fun it can be. This
assignment has helped me gain a lot of
interest in the geometric field of
mathematics and learn a lot about the use
of it in real life. I profusely thank all who
have helped me in this project and hope to
receive many more works like this.

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