arithmetic spiral

English - English

Definition of arithmetic spiral in English English dictionary

A spiral that increases in distance from the point of origin at a constant rate

The Parker spiral is the shape of the Sun's magnetic field as it extends through the solar system. Unlike the familiar shape of the field from a bar magnet, the Sun's extended field is twisted into an arithmetic spiral by the magnetohydrodynamic influence of the solar wind.

Hyphenation

a·rith·me·tic spir·al

Turkish pronunciation

ırîthmıtîk spayrıl

Synonyms

archimedean spiral, spiral of archimedes

Pronunciation

/ərˈəᴛʜməˌtək ˈspīrəl/ /ɜrˈɪθməˌtɪk ˈspaɪrəl/

Etymology

() It is a spiral whose equation in polar coordinates is linear, which would thus, when quantized, yield an arithmetic progression.