Biconcave disc

In geometry and

Biconcave discs appear in the study of cell biology, as an approximation to the shape of certain cells, including red blood cells.

Mathematical model

A biconcave disc can be described mathematically by

${\displaystyle z(r)=D{\sqrt {1-{\frac {4r^{2}}{D^{2}}}}}\left(a_{0}+{\frac {a_{1}r^{2}}{D^{2}}}+{\frac {a_{2}r^{4}}{D^{4}}}\right)}$

where z(r) is the height of the surface as a function of radius r, D is the diameter of the disc, and a₀, a₁, a₂ are coefficients describing the shape. The above model describes a smooth surface; actual cells can be much more irregular.

Biology

This biology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e