Bend, Twist, and Roll: Using Ribbons and Wheels to Visualize Curvature and Torsion

SummaryWe describe classical ways to think about the signed curvature and torsion of space curves using spherical indicatrices to record the twisting and turning of the Frenet frame. By constructing ribbons around curves, we show how to visualize their curvature and torsion. Finally, we use bicycle wheels to measure these quantities.