SPIRAL

Edson E. S. Sampaio

November 27, 2012

Introduction
The spiral functions nd applications in various elds of knowledge. An
example is the Ekman spiral (Gnanadesikan & Weller 1995) regarding the
structure of currents or winds near a horizontal boundary in which the ow
direction rotates as it moves away from the border because of the Coriolis
force. Another example is in the design of ultra dispersive wideband radar
antennas (Shubert & Ruck 1992), (Afsar et al. 2004). This essay deals
with spiral functions. Historically, the most important are: the spiral of
Archimedes (Archimedes of Syracuse 287-212 BC) and the logarithmic spiral
or spira mirabilis (Rene Descartes 1596-1650). Besides them, which we will
examine initially, we will discuss other also important types.
Comparison between the spiral of Archimedes and
the logarithmic spiral
The spiral of Archimedes obeys the following equation in polar Cartesian
coordinates:
r = r
0
+ b , r
0
> 0. (1)
If we substitute in Equation 1 the parametric equations: x = r cos() e
y = r sin() we can express the spiral of Archimedes in rectangular coordi-
nates, such as:
y =
_
x
2
+ y
2
sin
_
_
x
2
+ y
2
r
0
b
_
. (2)
The logarithmic spiral, thouroughly studied by (Jacob Bernoulli 1654-
1705) and by (Leonhard Euler 1707-1783), obeys the following equation, also

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in polar coordinates:
r = r
0
e
a
, r
0
> 0. (3)
Similarly, we can also express it in rectangular coordinates:
y =
_
x
2
+ y
2
sin
_
_
log

x
2
+y
2
r
0
a
_
_
. (4)
As noted, the algebraic expressions in rectangular coordinates are much
more complicated and there is no formula for simplifying both of them.
Thus, we will employ polar coordinates systematically.
We can express the length of an arch on a curve by
C =
_

2
1

r
2
+
_
dr
d
_
2
d, (5)
according to (Piskounov 1993). Thus, the length of the rst loop of the
spiral of Archimedes (after one full rotation, 0 2 ) is given by:
C
A1
=
b
2
log

r
0
b
+ 2 +
_
1 + (
r
0
b
+ 2 )
2
r
0
b
+
_
1 + (
r
0
b
)
2

+
r
0
+ 2 b
2
_
1 + (
r
0
b
+ 2 )
2

r
0
2
_
1 + (
r
0
b
)
2
. (6)
Under the same conditions, the length for the logarithmic spiral is given
by:
C
L1
=
r
0

1 + a
2
(e
2 a
1)
a
. (7)
Because
lim
b0
C
A1
= lim
a0
C
L1
= 2 r
0
, (8)
both spirals degenerate into a circle with a radius r
0
and circumference
C
A1
= C
L1
= 2 r
0
when b = a = 0.
While the spiral of Archimedes is linear because r(+)r() = b for it,
the logarithmic spiral has a geometrical behavior because r(+)/r() = e
a
for it.
The graphs of Figures 1(a) and (b) illustrate, respectively, the behavior
of the Archimedes and logarithmic spirals for r
0
= 1, b = 0.1 and a = 0.05.
The logarithmic spiral increases with for a > 0 and decreases with
for a < 0. Under both conditions, r 0 when a .
Formally, the spiral of Archimedes should be increasing with when
b > 0 and decreasing with when b < 0. Since, in either case, r = 0 when
2
-5 -3 -1 1 3 5
-5
-3
-1
1
3
5
-5 -3 -1 1 3 5
-5
-3
-1
1
3
5
(a) (b)
Figure 1: (a) Spiral of Archimedes: r = 1 + 0.1 , 0 40 rd. (b)
Logarithmic spiral: r = e
0.05
, 0 32 rd.
-4 -1 2
-5
-3
-1
1
3
-4 -1 2
-5
-3
-1
1
3
(a) (b)
Figure 2: Spirals of Archimedes: (a) r = 1+0.25 . Solid blue line: 16 rd <
< 4 rd. Dashed red line: 4 rd < < 12 rd. (b) r = 1 0.25 . Dashed
red line: 10 rd < < 4 rd. Solid blue line: 4 rd < < 16 rd.
3
=
r
0
b
, its increasing or decreasing behavior, in a given interval , is not
always obvious, as Figures 2(a) and (b) illustrate.
Finally, it should be noted that the logarithmic spiral has some remark-
able properties that the spiral of Archimedes has not. Among them, two are
particularly important:
Every radius from the origin intersect the logarithmic spiral at the
same angle. For this, she is also called equiangular. If is the angle
between the radius vector and the tangent to a curve in the considered
point, then (Piskounov 1993):
cot() =
1
r
d r
d
(9)
For the logarithmic spiral = arctan(
1
a
) = a constant.
The arc length from any point on the curve to the pole (r = 0) is nite,
although the number of rotations to reach it is innite. Substituting

1
and
2
for any nite value of in Equation 5, we get:
C
L
=
r
0

1 + a
2
a
e
a
. (10)
According to (Maor 1994), the signicance of this important result was
discovered by (Evangelista Torricelli 1645) the hard way. We can discover
it easily with the modern mathematical tools we have. After replacing the
value of in Equation 10, we verify that: r = C
L
cos(). Therefore, the
length of the logarithmic spiral extending between the pole and any point
P is equal to the length of a line segment along the tangent to the curve at
point P. The limits of the segment are at its intersection with the straight
line that cuts, perpendicularly, the radius vector from the point P to the
pole and at point P.
Analisys in the complex plane
Let us suppose that Figures 2 (a) and (b) represent a function w = f(z)
in the complex plane w = u + i v. In this case, u = (r
0
+ b ) cos() and
v = (r
0
+b ) sin(), for: r
0
= 1 and b = 0, 25. Therefore, |w| = |10.25 |
and arg(w) = . If we associate (z), we conclude that the function,
f(z) = (r
0
+ b z)e
i z
, (11)
maps the real axis of the complex plane z = x +i y onto Archimedes spirals
on the image complex plane w = u + i v.
However, if we take z along the imaginary axis in Equation 11, what
implies in associating (z) , we conclude that:
4
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.1
(a) (b)
Figure 3: (a) Representation of the real function, v = 0.25 uln(u), 0 <
u 1, or of the complex function w = e

+ i 0.25 e

, 0 < . (b)
Representation of the mixed spiral r = 0.25 e

, 0 2 .
u = r
0
e

(12)
and
v = b e

. (13)
So, (w) represents a logarithmic spiral for a = 1, whereas (w) repre-
sents a mixed spiral resulting of the product between a spiral of Archimedes
with r
0
= 0 and a logarithmic spiral with r
0
= 1 and a = 1.
Figure 3 is based on the functions of the Equations 12 and 13 and their
parameters are: r
0
= 1, b = 0.25 and positive values of . The curve of
Figure 3 (a) represents a real function, v = 0.25 uln(u), as well as the
mapping of the imaginary positive semi-axis onto the complex plane image
w = u + i v. On the other hand, Figure 3 (b) represents a mixed spiral
resulting of the product between the two spirals, after we associate v r in
Equation 13. This mixed spiral passes by the pole at = 0 and +
and reaches a maximum value of the radius vector at = 1 rd.
Generalized logarithmic spiral
Let the function f(z) = u + i v be:
f(z) = r
0
z
z
= r
0
e
z log(z)
. (14)
5
For z real and arg(z) = , z = |z| e
i
. Therefore, log(z) = log(|z|) +i and
f(z) = r
0
|z|
z
e
i z
. (15)
If we take = z we obtain:
f(z) = r
0

e
i
, (16)
u = r
0

cos() (17)
and
v = r
0

sin(). (18)
is real and negative in Equations 16, 17 e 18. So, we may write:
r() = r
0

, 0. (19)
Therefore, Equation 19 represents a generalized logarithmic spiral and we
conclude that the function f(z) dened by Equation 14, maps the semi-
negative real axis of z in a generalized logarithmic spiral of the image plane
w.
Figure 4 constitutes a graphical representation of Equation 19 for two
intervals of and r
0
= 1. Observe that the radius vector of this spiral goes
through a maximum value in the interval 0 || 4 . As envisaged in
the Equation 19, the maximum occurs for =

e
. However, the abso-
lute value of the base of this function increases in the same way that its
negative exponent, unlike the constant value of the base of the function of
the logarithmic spiral. Therefore, the value of the radius vector decreases
drastically to || >

e
rd 66, 22

. This fact is more evident in the graph

of Figure 4 (b). If we took increasingly positive values of in Equation 19,
the radius vector would pass through a minimum value for =

e
and would
grow dramatically with .
Reversed spirals
Given the parametric equations:
x =
r
0
cos(t)
t
(20)
and
y =
r
0
sin(t)
t
, (21)
6
-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
-0.001 0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004
-0.0016
-0.0012
-0.0008
-0.0004
0
0.0004
(a) (b)
Figure 4: Graph of the function r() =

, which represents the general-

ized logarithmic spiral. (a) 0 4 rd. (b) 4 rd 8 rd.
we can assume that the parameter t is equal to the coordinate in Equa-
tions 20 and 21. Therefore:
r =
r
0

. (22)
Equation 22 represents a reversed spiral function. However, its radius vector
diverges for = 0.
Let us compute the length of an arch of the function 22.
C
I
= r
0
_

2

1 +
2

2
d. (23)
After substituting = tan() we obtain:
C
I
= r
0
_

2

1
d
cos() sin
2
()
= r
0
_
log tan(

4
+

2
)
1
sin()
_

1
. (24)
Since lim

=

2
the length of the arch of this reversed spiral between
any point of it and the pole is innite.
To avoid the divergence that occurs for = 0 in Equation 22, let us take
two other parametric equations:
x =
r
0
(1 cos(t))
t
(25)
and
y =
r
0
sin(t)
t
. (26)
7
-0.4 0 0.4 0.8 1.2
-0.4
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
-0.8 -0.4 0 0.4 0.8
-0.4
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
(a) (b)
Figure 5: Graph of the reversed spirals functions. (a) r =
1

, /4 rd
8 rd. (b) r =
2 cos()
2
, 4 rd 4 rd.
If we substitute x = r cos() and y = r sin(), in Equations 25 and 26, we
verify that t = 2 . Therefore, sin(t) = sin(2 ) e cos(t) = cos(2 ).
Consequently:
r =
2 r
0
cos()
2
, (27)
which is a reversed spiral function too. Equation 27 doesnt diverge, respec-
tively, for t = 0 or for = /2. In fact, the maximum global value of this
function, r = r
0
, occurs for = /2. The other points of maximum and
minimum occur for
tan() =
2
2
. (28)
The graphs of Figure 5 illustrate the behavior of these two reversed
spirals.
Conclusion
We have analyzed, in a comparative way, six types of spirals: the Archimedes,
the logarithmic, a mixed resultant product of these two, a generalized loga-
rithmic with a variable basis, a reverse divergent at the origin and a reverse
convergent at the origin.
In certain types of analysis, representation as a function of a complex
variable is advantageous, because it incorporates the properties of analytic
functions. Therefore, we also performed a comparative analysis to the spiral
of Archimedes between its representation in the form of a real function in
polar coordinates, and a representation in the form of a function of a complex
variable.
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The analysis procedure in the complex plane yielded a mixed spiral and
a generalized logarithmic spiral. They both lack the equiangularity of the
spira mirabilis. However, the analyzed mixed spiral has the characteristics
of decaying more slowly with the polar angle . This may be diagnostic of
particular phenomena: to pass through the pole, respectively, for = 0 and
+ and to reach a maximum value of the radius vector for = 1 rd.
Unlike the mixed spiral, the generalized logarithmic spiral decreases or
increases rapidly with || > , depending on the sign of the exponent, and
doesnt pass through the pole for = 0. Also, depending on the sign of
the exponent, its radius vector is a maximum or minimum in the range
0 < || < .
The reversed spirals tend to the pole for . However, the two
branches of the divergent spiral are discontinuous. The convergent one is
continuous and passes an innite number of times by the pole. The latter
can represent, alone, either two vortices or two coils of opposite polarities
in one current ow.
References
Afsar MN, Yong W & Cheung R 2004. Analysis and measurement of
a broadband spiral antenna. Antennas and Propagation Magazine,
IEEE, 46(1), 59-64.
Gnanadesikan A & Weller RA 1995. Structure and instability of the
Ekman spiral in the presence of surface gravity waves. Journal of
Physical Oceanography, 25(12), 3148-3171.
Maor E 1994. e: The Story of a Number. 9th. edition. Princeton Univer-
sity Press, Princeton, USA.
Piskounov N 1993. C

lculo Diferencial e Integral, Volume 1. Translated

from the Russian by: AEP Teixeira e MJP Teixeira. 16th. edition in
Portuguese, Ed. Lopes da Silva, Porto, Portugal.
Shubert KA & Ruck GT 1992. Canonical representation of the radar
range equation in the time domain. SPIE Proc. of the International
Society for Optical Engineering on Ultrawideband Impulse Radar, Los
Angeles, USA, SPIE 1631, 2-12.
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