Zigzag

For other uses, see Zigzag (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Zagazig.

Drawing of a zigzag

A zigzag is a pattern like a row of Ws joined together, consisting of a single line made up of line segments of usually constant length joined by usually constant angles in alternating directions.

In geometry, this pattern is described as a skew apeirogon. From the point of view of symmetry, a regular zigzag can be generated from a simple motif like a line segment by repeated application of a glide reflection.

Although the origin of the word is unclear, its first printed appearances were in French-language books and ephemera of the late 17th century. ^[1]

Examples of zigzags

A 2-metre carpenter's ruler with centimetre divisions

Road sign warning for upcoming zigzag turn.

A seismograph showing zigzag lines

• The trace of a triangle wave or a sawtooth wave is a zigzag.
• Pinking shears are designed to cut cloth or paper with a zigzag edge, to lessen fraying. ^[2]
• In sewing, a zigzag stitch is a machine stitch in a zigzag pattern. ^[3]
• The zigzag arch is an architectural embellishment used in Islamic, Byzantine, Norman and Romanesque architecture. ^{[4] [5]}
• In seismology, earthquakes recorded in a "zigzag line" form by using seismograph. ^[6]

See also

• Serpentine shape
• Infinite skew polygon

References

1. Liberman, Anatoly (2009). Word Origins...And How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN   978-0-19-538707-0.
2. Shepler, Missy; Brent, Rebecca (2011). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sewing. Penguin. p. 84. ISBN   978-1-101-51368-2.
3. Gardiner, Wendy; Knight, Lorna (2011). The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible: Get the Most Out of Your Machine---From Using Basic Feet to Mastering Specialty Feet. Macmillan. pp. 34–35. ISBN   978-0-312-67658-2.
4. Allen, Terry (1986). "4". A Classical Revival in Islamic Architecture. Wiesbaden.
5. Allen, Terry (2008). Pisa and the Dome of the Rock (electronic publication) (2nd ed.). Occidental, California: Solipsist Press. ISBN   978-0-944940-08-2 . Retrieved January 28, 2012.
6. "Seismograph - What is a seismograph?". SMS-Tsunami-Warning.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.

Bibliography

• Wedgwood, Hensleigh (1855). "On Roots mutually connected by reference to the term Zig-zag". Transactions of the Philological Society (2).