Spiral

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Spiral

Spiral (/ˈspaɪrəl/; from the Latin spira meaning "coil") is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point.

Definition

A spiral is a curve in the plane or in space, which runs around a centre in a special way. Different types of spirals include Archimedean spiral, Logarithmic spiral, and Fibonacci spiral. Spirals are used in the design of aerospace structures to provide strength, ease of construction and resistance to atmospheric pressure.

Etymology

The term spiral comes from the Latin word spira, which means coil. It was first used in the English language in the 1550s.

Related Terms

  • Archimedean spiral: A spiral named after the 3rd-century BC Greek mathematician Archimedes. It is the locus of points corresponding to the locations over time of a point moving away from a fixed point with a constant speed along a line which rotates with constant angular velocity.
  • Logarithmic spiral: A self-similar spiral curve which often appears in nature. The logarithmic spiral was first described by Descartes and later extensively investigated by Jacob Bernoulli, who called it Spira mirabilis, "the marvelous spiral".
  • Fibonacci spiral: An approximation of the golden spiral created by drawing circular arcs connecting the opposite corners of squares in the Fibonacci tiling.
  • Helix: A type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis.

See Also

External links

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