spiral of Archimedes
nounGeometry.
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.
Origin of spiral of Archimedes
1First recorded in 1650–60; named after Archimedes
Words Nearby spiral of Archimedes
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British Dictionary definitions for spiral of Archimedes
spiral of Archimedes
noun
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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