Definition:Archimedean Spiral

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Definition

The Archimedean spiral is the locus of the equation expressed in polar coordinates as:

$r = a \theta$


ArchimedeanSpiral.png


Archimedes' Definition

If a straight line of which one extremity remains fixed be made to revolve at a uniform rate in a plane until it returns to the position from which it started, and if, at the same time as the straight line revolves, a point moves at a uniform rate along the straight line, starting from the fixed extremity, the point will describe a spiral in the plane.


Also known as

Some sources refer to the archimedean spiral as:

Archimedes' spiral (with or without the apostrophe)
the spiral of Archimedes


Also see

  • Results about the Archimedean spiral can be found here.


Source of Name

This entry was named for Archimedes of Syracuse.


Sources