Arc may refer to:

Mathematics

Arc (geometry) In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line (geometry), line, but that does not have to be Linearity, straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point (ge ...

, a segment of a differentiable curve **

Circular arc A circular arc is the arc of a circle between a pair of distinct points. If the two points are not directly opposite each other, one of these arcs, the minor arc, subtends an angle at the center of the circle that is less than radians (180 ...

, a segment of a circle * Arc (topology), a segment of a path *

Arc length Arc length is the distance between two points along a section of a curve. Development of a formulation of arc length suitable for applications to mathematics and the sciences is a problem in vector calculus and in differential geometry. In the ...

, the distance between two points along a section of a curve *

Arc (projective geometry) A (simple) arc in finite projective geometry is a set of points which satisfies, in an intuitive way, a feature of ''curved'' figures in continuous geometry, continuous geometries. Loosely speaking, they are sets of points that are far from "line- ...

, a particular type of set of points of a projective plane *

arc (function prefix) In mathematics, the inverse trigonometric functions (occasionally also called ''antitrigonometric'', ''cyclometric'', or ''arcus'' functions) are the inverse functions of the trigonometric functions, under suitably restricted domains. Specific ...

(arcus), a prefix for inverse trigonometric functions * Directed arc, a directed edge in graph theory *

Minute and second of arc A minute of arc, arcminute (abbreviated as arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of Angular unit, angular measurement equal to of a Degree (angle), degree. Since one degree is of a turn (geometry), turn, or ...

, a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/60 of one degree. *

Wild arc In geometric topology, a wild arc is an embedding of the unit interval into 3-dimensional space not equivalent to the usual one in the sense that there does not exist an ambient isotopy taking the arc to a straight line segment. found the fi ...

, a concept from geometric topology

Science and technology

Geology

* Arc, in geology a

mountain chain A mountain chain is a row of high mountain summits, a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains,Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p 87. . or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger mo ...

configured as an arc due to a common orogeny along a plate margin or the effect of back-arc extension ** Hellenic arc, the arc of islands positioned over the Hellenic Trench in the Aegean Sea off Greece *

Back-arc basin A back-arc basin is a type of geologic Structural basin, basin, found at some convergent boundary, convergent plate boundaries. Presently all back-arc basins are submarine features associated with island arcs and subduction zones, with many found ...

, a subsided region caused by back-arc extension *

Back-arc region The back-arc region is the area behind a volcanic arc. In island volcanic arcs, it consists of back-arc basins of oceanic crust with abyssal depths, which may be separated by remnant arcs, similar to island arcs. In continental arcs, the back-a ...

, the region created by back-arc extension, containing all the basins, faults, and volcanoes generated by the extension *

Island arc Island arcs are long archipelago, chains of active volcanoes with intense earthquake, seismic activity found along convergent boundary, convergent plate tectonics, tectonic plate boundaries. Most island arcs originate on oceanic crust and have re ...

, an arc-shaped archipelago, usually so configured for geologic causes, such as sea-floor spreading, common orogeny on the margin of the same plate, or back-arc extension ** Northeastern Japan Arc, an island arc ** Banda Arc, a set of island arcs in Indonesia * Continental arc, in geology a continental mountain chain or parallel alignment of chains (as opposed to island arcs), configured in an arc **

Eastern Arc Mountains The Eastern Arc Mountains are a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. The chain runs from northeast to southwest, with the Taita Hills being in Kenya and the other ranges being in Tanzania. They are delimited on the southwest by the fau ...

, a continental arc of Africa *

Volcanic arc A volcanic arc (also known as a magmatic arc) is a belt of volcanoes formed above a subducting oceanic tectonic plate, with the belt arranged in an arc shape as seen from above. Volcanic arcs typically parallel an oceanic trench, with the arc ...

, a chain of volcanoes positioned in an arc shape as seen from above ** Aleutian Arc, a large volcanic arc in the U.S. state of Alaska * Nastapoka arc, a circular coastline in Hudson Bay

Technology

* arc, the command-line interface for

ArcInfo ArcInfo (formerly ARC/INFO) is a full-featured geographic information system produced by Esri, and is the highest level of licensing (and therefore functionality) in the ArcGIS Desktop product line. It was originally a command-line based system ...

ARC (file format) ARC is a Lossless compression, lossless data compression and file archiver, archival file format, format by System Enhancement Associates (SEA). The file format and the program were both called ARC. The format is known as the subject of controver ...

, a file name extension for archive files *

ARC (processor) Argonaut RISC Core (ARC) is a family of 32-bit and 64-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC) central processing units (CPUs) originally designed by ARC International. ARC processors are configurable and extensible for a wide range of us ...

, 32-bit RISC architecture * ARC (adaptive replacement cache), a page replacement algorithm for high-performance filesystems *

Arc (programming language) Arc is a programming language, a dialect of the language Lisp, developed by Paul Graham and Robert Morris. It is free and open-source software released under the Artistic License 2.0. History In 2001, Paul Graham announced that he was worki ...

, a Lisp dialect designed by Paul Graham *

Arc (web browser) Arc is a freeware web browser that was developed by The Browser Company, a startup company founded by Josh Miller (education), Josh Miller and Hursh Agrawal. It was first released in 2023 for macOS and is also available for Microsoft Windows, W ...

, a freeware web browser developed by The Browser Company * Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, a cellphone *

Audio Return Channel High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a proprietary digital interface used to transmit high-quality video and audio signals between devices. It is commonly used to connect devices such as televisions, computer monitors, projectors, g ...

, an audio technology working over HDMI *

Authenticated Received Chain Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) is an email Electronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving Digital media, digital messages using electronics, electronic devices ...

, an email authentication system *

Arc lamp An arc lamp or arc light is a lamp that produces light by an electric arc (also called a voltaic arc). The carbon arc light, which consists of an arc between carbon electrodes in air, invented by Humphry Davy in the first decade of the 1800s, ...

, a lamp that produces light by an electric arc **

Xenon arc lamp A xenon arc lamp is a highly specialized type of gas discharge lamp, an electric light that produces light by passing electricity through ionized xenon gas at high pressure. It produces a bright white light to simulate sunlight, with applications ...

, a highly specialized type of gas discharge lamp ** Deuterium arc lamp, a low-pressure gas-discharge light source ** Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamp, the trademark name of Osram's brand of metal-halide gas discharge medium arc-length lamp *

Electric arc furnace An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a Industrial furnace, furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc. Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundry, foundries for producin ...

, a furnace that heats charged material by means of an electric arc *

Arc welding Arc welding is a welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using electricity to create enough heat to melt metal, and the melted metals, when cool, result in a joining of the metals. It is a type of welding that uses a welding power ...

, a welding process that is used to join metal to metal *

Arc-fault circuit interrupter An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects the electric arcs that are a signature of loose connections in home wiring. Loose connections, which can dev ...

, a specialized circuit breaker *

Arc converter The arc converter, sometimes called the arc transmitter, or Poulsen arc after Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen who invented it in 1903, was a variety of spark transmitter used in early wireless telegraphy. The arc converter used an electric arc ...

, a spark transmitter * Intel Arc, brand of graphics processing units designed by Intel * Arc, one side (half) of an

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

Other science

Electric arc An electric arc (or arc discharge) is an electrical breakdown of a gas that produces a prolonged electrical discharge. The electric current, current through a normally Electrical conductance, nonconductive medium such as air produces a plasma ( ...

, an ongoing plasma discharge (an electric current through a gas), producing light and heat * Arc flash, the light and heat produced as part of an arc fault * Arc (protein), a name of product of an immediate early gene, also called Arg3.1 *

Reflex arc A reflex arc is a neural pathway that controls a reflex. In vertebrates, most sensory neurons synapse in the spinal cord and the signal then travels through it into the brain. This allows for faster reflex actions to occur by activating spinal mo ...

, a neural pathway that controls a reflex * Circumhorizontal arc, an optical phenomenon * Circumzenithal arc, an optical phenomenon

Arts and entertainment

Music

* ''A.R.C.'' (album), by pianist Chick Corea with bassist David Holland and drummer Barry Altschul recorded in 1971 * ''Arc'' (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album), 1991 * ''Arc'' (Everything Everything album), 2013 * ''Arc'' (EP), a 2016 EP by Agoraphobic Nosebleed * "Arc", a song by Pearl Jam from ''

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled ...

Video games

Arc System Works , commonly referred to as ArcSys, is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher located in Yokohama. Founded by Minoru Kidooka in 1988, the company is known for arcade 2D fighting game franchises, including ''Guilty Gear ...

, a video game developer *

Luminous Arc ''Luminous Arc'' is a series of Tactical role-playing game, tactical role-playing video games originally developed by Imageepoch, prior to the company's bankruptcy. The series began with the 2007 release of ''Luminous Arc (video game), Luminous Arc ...

, a video game series * The title character of '' Arc the Lad'', a series of role-playing video games for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 * Armored Response Coalition, a fictional military/resistance organization seen in the 2020 video game '' Doom Eternal''

Other arts and entertainment

* Tilted Arc, a controversial public art installation by Richard Serra * '' Arc Poetry Magazine'', a Canadian literary journal *

Character arc A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to c ...

, the status of a character as it unfolds throughout the story *

Story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...

, an extended or continuing storyline * Arcs, one of the twelve basic principles of animation * '' Ultraman Arc'', a 2024 Japanese television series produced by Tsubuyara Productions and TV Tokyo

Codes

* Arcata Transit Center, Amtrak code for the station in Arcata, California * IATA airport code of Arctic Village Airport, a public use airport in Alaska * ISO 639-3 language code of the Official Aramaic language, spoken between 700 BCE and 300 BCE

Companies and organizations

* Arc Infrastructure, an Australian railway company * Arc Institute, an American biomedical research organization * Arc International, a French manufacturer and distributor of household goods *

Arc Publications Arc Publications, also known as Arc, is an independent publishing house in the UK, publishing contemporary poetry from new and established writers from the UK and abroad, specialising in the work of international poets writing in English and the ...

, a UK independent publisher of poetry * Arc @ UNSW, the principal student organisation at the University of New South Wales * Arc of the United States, a charitable organization serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities * Arc Holdings, a French manufacturer of household goods

Places

* Arc (Provence), a river of southern France, flowing into the Étang de Berre *

Arc (Savoie) The Arc () is a river in the Savoie département of south-eastern France. It is a left tributary of the Isère, which it joins at Chamousset, approximately downstream from Albertville. Its source is near the border with Italy, in the Graian Alp ...

, a river of eastern France, tributary of the Isère river * Arc, short for "Arcade"; a

Street suffix A street suffix is the part of a street or road name that describes what type of road it is. Examples include "street", "avenue", "lane", "highway", and "drive". As they are commonly repeated between roads, they are often abbreviated; for examp ...

as used in the US

Other uses

* Arc (Bahá'í), a number of administrative buildings for the Bahá'í Faith, located on Mount Carmel in Israel * Arc (greyhounds), a major greyhound race in the Greyhound Board of Great Britain calendar