concave

Also called: concavity

Which side the curve’s center sits on — the direction it bends toward.

The direction toward the curve’s center, as in "concave to the northeast." It is an alternate way of saying whether the curve turns left or right as the boundary is walked, and it must be resolved before the curve can be plotted.

Where you'll see it

Surveying Basics

How to Read a Metes and Bounds Description

Deeds are written in their own language. Here is how to walk one line by line — and what the closure math is actually telling you at the end.

Related terms in Curves

arc length chord curve delta angle radius tangent

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