Inmathematics, aspiral is acurve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.[1][2][3][4] It is a subtype ofwhorled patterns, a broad group that also includesconcentric objects.
The involute of a circle (black) is not identical to the Archimedean spiral (red).
Hyperbolic spiral as central projection of a helix
AnArchimedean spiral is, for example, generated while coiling a carpet.[5]
Ahyperbolic spiral appears as image of a helix with a special central projection (see diagram). A hyperbolic spiral is some times calledreciproke spiral, because it is the image of an Archimedean spiral with a circle-inversion (see below).[6]
The namelogarithmic spiral is due to the equation. Approximations of this are found in nature.
Spirals which do not fit into this scheme of the first 5 examples:
ACornu spiral has two asymptotic points. Thespiral of Theodorus is a polygon. TheFibonacci Spiral consists of a sequence of circle arcs. Theinvolute of a circle looks like an Archimedean, but is not: seeInvolute#Examples.
The following considerations are dealing with spirals, which can be described by a polar equation, especially for the cases (Archimedean, hyperbolic, Fermat's, lituus spirals) and the logarithmic spiral.
Definition of sector (light blue) and polar slope angle
Polar slope angle
The angle between the spiral tangent and the corresponding polar circle (see diagram) is calledangle of the polar slope and thepolar slope.
The image of a spiral under the inversion at the unit circle is the spiral with polar equation. For example: The inverse of an Archimedean spiral is a hyperbolic spiral.
A logarithmic spiral is mapped onto the logarithmic spiral
The function of a spiral is usually strictly monotonic, continuousand unbounded. For the standard spirals is either a power function or an exponential function. If one chooses for abounded function, the spiral is bounded, too. A suitable bounded function is thearctan function:
Example 1
Setting and the choice gives a spiral, that starts at the origin (like an Archimedean spiral) and approaches the circle with radius (diagram, left).
Example 2
For and one gets a spiral, that approaches the origin (like a hyperbolic spiral) and approaches the circle with radius (diagram, right).
a curve on a plane that winds around a fixed center point at a continuously increasing or decreasing distance from the point.
a three-dimensional curve that turns around an axis at a constant or continuously varying distance while moving parallel to the axis; ahelix.
The first definition describes aplanar curve, that extends in both of the perpendicular directions within its plane; the groove on one side of agramophone record closely approximates a plane spiral (and it is by the finite width and depth of the groove, butnot by the wider spacing between than within tracks, that it falls short of being a perfect example); note that successive loopsdiffer in diameter. In another example, the "center lines" of the arms of aspiral galaxy tracelogarithmic spirals.
The second definition includes two kinds of 3-dimensional relatives of spirals:
A conical orvolute spring (including the spring used to hold and make contact with the negative terminals of AA or AAA batteries in abattery box), and thevortex that is created when water is draining in a sink is often described as a spiral, or as aconical helix.
Quite explicitly, definition 2 also includes a cylindrical coil spring and a strand ofDNA, both of which are fairly helical, so that "helix" is a moreuseful description than "spiral" for each of them. In general, "spiral" is seldom applied if successive "loops" of a curve have the same diameter.[7]
In the side picture, the black curve at the bottom is anArchimedean spiral, while the green curve is a helix. The curve shown in red is a conical spiral.
"Space spiral" redirects here. For the building, seeSpace Spiral.
Two well-known spiralspace curves areconical spirals andspherical spirals, defined below.Another instance of space spirals is thetoroidal spiral.[8] A spiral wound around a helix,[9] also known asdouble-twisted helix,[10] represents objects such ascoiled coil filaments.
Anycylindrical map projection can be used as the basis for aspherical spiral: draw a straight line on the map and find its inverse projection on the sphere, a kind ofspherical curve.
One of the most basic families of spherical spirals is theClelia curves, which project to straight lines on anequirectangular projection. These are curves for whichlongitude andcolatitude are in a linear relationship, analogous to Archimedean spirals in the plane; under theazimuthal equidistant projection a Clelia curve projects to a planar Archimedean spiral.
then setting the linear dependency for the angle coordinates gives aparametric curve in terms of parameter,[11]
Clelia curve
Loxodrome
Another family of spherical spirals is therhumb lines or loxodromes, that project to straight lines on theMercator projection. These are the trajectories traced by a ship traveling with constantbearing. Any loxodrome (except for the meridians and parallels) spirals infinitely around either pole, closer and closer each time, unlike a Clelia curve which maintains uniform spacing in colatitude. Understereographic projection, a loxodrome projects to a logarithmic spiral in the plane.
A model for the pattern offlorets in the head of asunflower[13] was proposed by H. Vogel. This has the form
wheren is the index number of the floret andc is a constant scaling factor, and is a form ofFermat's spiral. The angle 137.5° is thegolden angle which is related to thegolden ratio and gives a close packing of florets.[14]
Spirals in plants and animals are frequently described aswhorls. This is also the name given to spiral shapedfingerprints.
TheCeltic triple-spiral is in fact a pre-Celtic symbol.[15] It is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoricNewgrange monument inCounty Meath, Ireland. Newgrange was built around 3200BCE, predating the Celts; triple spirals were carved at least 2,500 years before the Celts reached Ireland, but have long since become part of Celtic culture.[16] Thetriskelion symbol, consisting of three interlocked spirals or three bent human legs, appears in many early cultures: examples includeMycenaean vessels, coinage fromLycia,staters ofPamphylia (atAspendos, 370–333 BC) andPisidia, as well as theheraldic emblem on warriors' shields depicted on Greek pottery.[17]
Spirals occur commonly in pre-Columbian art in Latin and Central America. The more than 1,400petroglyphs (rock engravings) inLas Plazuelas,GuanajuatoMexico, dating 750-1200 AD, predominantly depict spirals, dot figures and scale models.[18] In Colombia, monkeys, frog and lizard-like figures depicted in petroglyphs or as gold offering-figures frequently include spirals, for example on the palms of hands.[19] In Lower Central America, spirals along with circles, wavy lines, crosses and points are universal petroglyph characters.[20] Spirals also appear among theNazca Lines in the coastal desert of Peru, dating from 200 BC to 500 AD. Thegeoglyphs number in the thousands and depict animals, plants and geometric motifs, including spirals.[21]
Spirals are also a symbol ofhypnosis, stemming from thecliché of people and cartoon characters being hypnotized by staring into a spinning spiral (one example beingKaa in Disney'sThe Jungle Book). They are also used as a symbol ofdizziness, where the eyes of a cartoon character, especially inanime andmanga, will turn into spirals to suggest that they are dizzy or dazed. The spiral is also found in structures as small as thedouble helix ofDNA and as large as agalaxy. Due to this frequent natural occurrence, the spiral is the official symbol of theWorld Pantheist Movement.[22]The spiral is also a symbol of thedialectic process and ofDialectical monism.
The spiral is a frequent symbol for spiritual purification, both withinChristianity and beyond (one thinks of the spiral as the neo-Platonist symbol for prayer and contemplation, circling around a subject and ascending at the same time, and as aBuddhist symbol for the gradual process on the Path to Enlightenment). [...] while a helix is repetitive, a spiral expands and thus epitomizes growth – conceptuallyad infinitum.[23]
The spiral has inspired artists throughout the ages. Among the most famous of spiral-inspired art isRobert Smithson'searthwork, "Spiral Jetty", at theGreat Salt Lake in Utah.[24] The spiral theme is also present in David Wood's Spiral Resonance Field at theBalloon Museum in Albuquerque, as well as in the critically acclaimedNine Inch Nails 1994 concept albumThe Downward Spiral. The Spiral is also a prominent theme in the animeGurren Lagann, where it represents a philosophy and way of life. It also central in Mario Merz and Andy Goldsworthy's work. The spiral is the central theme of the horror mangaUzumaki byJunji Ito, where a small coastal town is afflicted by a curse involving spirals.
^Anthony Murphy and Richard Moore,Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, 2nd ed., Dublin: The Liffey Press, 2008, pp. 168-169
^For example, the trislele onAchilles' round shield on an Attic late sixth-centuryhydria at theBoston Museum of Fine Arts, illustrated in John Boardman, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray,Greece and the Hellenistic World (Oxford History of the Classical World) vol. I (1988), p. 50.
^Israel, Nico (2015).Spirals : the whirled image in twentieth-century literature and art. New York Columbia University Press. pp. 161–186.ISBN978-0-231-15302-7.
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