noun
- a point on a curve where two branches of the curve meet and have a common tangent
Usage: mathematics; geometry
Examples
- The mathematician identified a tacnode on the algebraic curve.
- At the tacnode, both branches of the curve share the same tangent line.
- Students learned to recognize tacnodes when analyzing cubic equations.
- The graph showed a clear tacnode where the two curves intersected.
- Finding tacnodes requires careful analysis of the curve’s derivatives.