Spiral

From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Lighterstill.jpg

EquiangularSpiralEvolute2.jpg

Origin

medieval Latin spīrāl-is (Albertus Magnus, a1255), whence also French spiral, Italian spirale, Spanish espiral.

Definitions

  • 1a : winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it <the spiral curve of a watch spring>
b : helical
c : spiral-bound <a spiral notebook>
  • 2: of or relating to the advancement to higher levels through a series of cyclical movements

Description

In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point. While a "spiral" and a "helix" are distinct as technical terms, a helix is sometimes described as a spiral in non-technical usage.