spiral of Archimedes

noun

, Geometry.

1. a curve that is the locus of a point that moves outward with uniform speed along a vector, beginning at the origin, while the vector rotates about the origin with uniform angular velocity. Equation (in polar coordinates): r = aθ.

spiral of Archimedes

noun

1. maths a spiral having the equation r = a θ, where a is a constant. It is the locus of a point moving to or from the origin at a constant speed along a line rotating around that origin at a constant speed

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiral of Archimedes¹

First recorded in 1650–60; named after Archimedes

Example Sentences

Propositions 1-11 are preliminary, 13-20 contain tangential properties of the curve now known as the spiral of Archimedes, and 21-28 show how to express the area included between any portion of the curve and the radii vectores to its extremities.

From Project Gutenberg