Concentriek

Concentriek is the Dutch term for concentric, used to describe shapes or structures that share the same center. In geometry and related fields, concentric figures have a common central point, as seen in concentric circles where each circle is centered at the same point but has a different radius.

The concept spans various disciplines. In design and art, concentric patterns create visual rhythm and focus by arranging elements in rings around a central axis. In engineering and metrology, concentricity refers to how closely two or more features share the same center, and it is typically specified as a tolerance. Examples include the coaxial relationship between a shaft and its bore or the alignment of inner and outer rings in a bearing. Maintaining concentricity is important for performance, efficiency, and wear in mechanical systems.

Concentrics are also found in architecture and urban planning, where circular plans or layered rings around a core can influence movement, sightlines, and acoustics. The term is related to the opposite concept of eccentricity, which describes shapes or components whose centers do not coincide.

Etymology traces concentriek to the Latin concentricus, formed from con- ‘together’ and centrum ‘center,’ and it has parallels in other languages, including the English word concentric. In Dutch, concentriek is commonly used, though the more technical term concentric or concentrisch may appear in specialized contexts.

In summary, concentriek describes anything organized in or characterized by shared centrality, with applications across mathematics, engineering, design, and architecture.