NSegment

Nsegment is not a single standardized term; in documentation and code it may be used as shorthand for a piecewise-linear object defined by n straight segments or as a data type that stores such an object. The precise meaning depends on the domain and author.

In geometry and computer graphics, an n-segment polyline refers to a connected chain of n straight segments. A polyline with n segments has n+1 vertices; some sources count the number of vertices, using the term n-vertex polyline. The object can be represented by its vertex list or by the segment list. Common operations include evaluating a point along the polyline for a parameter t in [0,1], computing length, and determining the bounding box.

In programming libraries, a type or class named NSegment may encapsulate the polyline, exposing methods such as length(), point_at(t), segment(i), and subsegment(a,b). It may also support operations like subdivision, simplification, or conversion to a flat sequence of coordinates for rendering.

Applications include path modeling in GIS and CAD, route planning, animation, and data approximation where a curve is approximated by a finite set of straight segments. N-segment representations are often used as a balance between accuracy and computational efficiency.

See also: polyline, segment, piecewise-linear, segmentation.