A curve is a line that changes its direction gradually, constantly and without forming angles.
From the Latin curvus , a curve is a line (real or imaginary) that deviates from the straight direction without forming angles . This means that its direction varies gradually and constantly.
The concept is usually used to name the curved section of a road , a highway , a car circuit or a railway track. For example: “To get to the museum, you have to follow this street and, when you reach the curve to the right, travel another two hundred meters,” “The Ferrari driver got lost in the steepest curve of the circuit and ended up outside the competition” , “Mountain routes are quite dangerous as they have numerous curves” .
In these cases, especially when they are used to refer to the intersection between two streets in a city , it is understood that it is not a curve per se, since an angle is formed (or more than one, depending on the precision with the which is observed). The most appropriate term for this concept is "corner."
Types of curves
There are various types of curves. Open curves are those whose ends do not meet; On roads, they are those that have little curvature and that vehicles can take without reducing their speed too much. The parabola and hyperbola are examples of open curves in the field of mathematics.
Sharp curves , on the other hand, return to the starting point. On roads, sharp curves have great curvature and must be taken very slowly. Examples of this type of curves are circles and ellipses .
Graphic representation of a phenomenon
A curve can also be a line that graphically represents the magnitude of a phenomenon according to the values adopted by its variables .
A precipitation curve can reflect the level of precipitation in a certain territory in a certain period of time. The X axis (horizontal) can show the different months, while the Y axis (vertical) can express precipitation in millimeters.
In education, the concept of a learning curve is often used.
Learning curve
The learning curve, on the other hand, is a concept that is used to measure the success obtained throughout a learning period. It is usually graphed as follows: the X axis shows the time that has passed from the beginning to a particular point, while the Y represents the number of correct responses made in said period.
In general, when undertaking a new task, errors are very common, and they disappear over time , until the curve becomes a straight line. However, there is the possibility of obtaining random results, which shows false learning, a serious retention problem or great difficulty in evoking the learned concepts.
The notion in economics
Economists rely on the concept of a learning curve to explain the growth in productivity and quality after making certain alterations to a process (such as personnel changes, acquisition of new tools or adoption of new methodologies).
In the case of the entertainment industry, specifically video games, the learning curve serves to describe the difficulty that a product presents for the average player and the time it takes them to overcome the initial barriers, until they settle in and feel confident in their power. control it easily.
The steeper the curve, the more efficient the learning is in a given period. Some of the factors that affect a student's performance are the following:
* the set of skills related to the topic you are willing to learn and the prior knowledge you have;
* the methods used by the teachers, or by the student himself (if he is self-taught);
* the context in which learning takes place (both physical and mental issues).