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No shape is mathematical really unless it has been created by a mathematical formula, but is certainly a geometric shape. But anything which is a 2D or 3D shape is geometric. My improvement: A catenary curve from a mathematical equation such as cosh x, is a mathematical and natural shape. Maby each other arch can be approximated by a mathematical formula.
yes
triangles are the second strongest shape next to the arch
A form of arch defined by a moving point which remains equidistant from a fixed point inside the arch and a moving point along a line. This shape when inverted into an arch structure results in a form which allows equal vertical loading along its length. A parabola is the graph of a quadratic equation. Mathworld has some nice drawings. Need a link? You got it. A Parabola is the set of all points that are equidistant from a point and a line. The line is called the directrix and the point is called the focus. Each point on the parabola is as far from the directrix as it is from the focus. It is the same shape of a curve you will find in the reflector of a flashlight bulb, or in the arc of a baseball when it is thrown or hit.
The Catenary and Parabola are different curves that look similar; they are both "U" shaped and symmetrical, increasing infinitely on both sides to a minimum.