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A zigzag is a pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
 made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines
Parallel Lines

Parallel Lines is the third studio album by United States New Wave music band Blondie , released in 1978 on Chrysalis Records records. Their most popular and best selling effort, Parallel Lines was the first Blondie album to be produced by Mike Chapman....
; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. Traditionally a "zig" points in the left direction (/) and a "zag" points right (\). From the point of view of symmetry
Symmetry

Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection....
, a regular zigzag can be generated from a simple motif like a line segment
Line segment

In geometry, a line segment is a part of a line that is bounded by two end Point , and contains every point on the line between its end points....
 by repeated application of a glide reflection
Glide reflection

In geometry, a glide reflection is a type of isometry of the Euclidean plane: the combination of a reflection in a line and a translation along that line....
.






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Encyclopedia


A zigzag is a pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
 made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines
Parallel Lines

Parallel Lines is the third studio album by United States New Wave music band Blondie , released in 1978 on Chrysalis Records records. Their most popular and best selling effort, Parallel Lines was the first Blondie album to be produced by Mike Chapman....
; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. Traditionally a "zig" points in the left direction (/) and a "zag" points right (\). From the point of view of symmetry
Symmetry

Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection....
, a regular zigzag can be generated from a simple motif like a line segment
Line segment

In geometry, a line segment is a part of a line that is bounded by two end Point , and contains every point on the line between its end points....
 by repeated application of a glide reflection
Glide reflection

In geometry, a glide reflection is a type of isometry of the Euclidean plane: the combination of a reflection in a line and a translation along that line....
. Equally it is the juxtaposition
Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition may refer to:* Juxtaposition , synonymous with contrast* Random juxtaposition, two random objects moving in parallel, a technique intended to stimulate creativity...
 of chevrons, or of forward slashes and backslash
Backslash

The backslash is a typographical mark used chiefly in computing. It was first introduced to computers in 1960 by Bob Bemer. Sometimes called a reverse solidus or an oblique, it is the mirror image of the common slash ....
es:

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ or ^^^^^^^^^


Examples of zigzags


Lightning
Lightning

File:Blesk.jpgLightning is an Earth's atmosphere discharge of electricity usually accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcano or dust storms....
 is often depicted with a zigzag design, with long downward strokes and short backward ones. The trace
Trace

Trace may refer to:Mathematics, computing and electronics:* Trace of a square matrix or a linear transformation* Trace of a surgery on a manifold...
 of a triangle wave
Triangle wave

A triangle wave is a non-sinusoidal waveform named for its triangular shape.Like a square wave, the triangle wave contains only odd harmonics....
 or a sawtooth wave
Sawtooth wave

The sawtooth wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform. It is named a sawtooth based on its resemblance to the teeth on the blade of a saw.The convention is that a sawtooth wave ramps upward and then sharply drops....
 is a zigzag. Pinking shears
Pinking shears

Pinking shears are scissors, the blades of which are sawtoothed instead of straight. Pinking shears leave a zigzag pattern instead of a straight edge....
 are designed to cut cloth or paper with a zigzag edge, to lessen fraying. Zigzags are a basic decorative pattern used on pottery
Pottery

Pottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries....
, and are often seen in the cuts which separate pieces of ravioli
Ravioli

Ravioli is a type of filled pasta composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. The word ravioli is reminiscent of the Italian language verb ravvolgere , though the two words are not etymologically connected....
 pasta.

In sewing
Sewing

Sewing or stitching is the fastening of cloth, leather, furs, bark, or other flexible materials, using Sewing needle and yarn. Its use is nearly universal among human populations and dates back to Paleolithic times ....
, a zigzag stitch is a machine
Sewing machine

A sewing machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric or other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies....
 stitch in a zigzag pattern. Tightly spaced zigzag stitches are used to emulate embroidery stitch
Embroidery stitch

In everyday language, a stitch in the context of embroidery or hand-sewing is defined as the movement of the embroidery Sewing needle from the backside of the fabric to the front side and back to the back side....
es such as satin stitch, and to reinforce buttonhole
Buttonhole

Buttonholes are holes in fabric that are paired with functional buttons that serve as fasteners. Buttonholes may be either made by hand sewing or automated by a sewing machine....
s. A zigzag stitch is also used as a non-structural seam, to temporarily hold two panels together edge-to-edge.

See Also

  • Serpentine shape
    Serpentine shape

    File:Aguas Calientes, Serpentine nach Machu Picchu.jpgSerpentine refers to the curved shape of an object or design which resembles the letter s, a sine wave or a snake; the latter is the derivation of the term....