helicoid
The second oldest known minimal surface;
it was discovered by Jean-Baptiste Meusnier in 1776, thirty years after
the catenoid. It is the only minimal surface,
apart from the simple plane, that is also a ruled
surface. The helicoid is the surface swept out by a line that always
intersects a fixed axis at right angles and that rotates uniformly as its
point of intersection moves uniformly along the axis. This line intersects
any cylinder concentric with the axis in
a helix. The helicoid has a wide variety of shapes
and is a familiar sight in everyday life, taking the form of everything
from spiraling parking ramps to screw threads.
Related
category
• SPACE
CURVES
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