shell showing the chambers arranged in an approximately logarithmic spiral.]] In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point. The concise mathematical defintion is "The locus of a point moving at constant speed whose distance from a fixed point increases at a specific rate." Spiral or helix A "spiral" and a "helix" are two terms that are easily confused, but represent different objects. A spiral is typically a planar curve (that is, flat), like the groove on a record or the arms of a spiral galaxy. A helix, on the other hand, is a three-dimensional coil that runs along the surface of a cylinder, like a screw. There are many instances where in colloquial usage spiral is used as a synonym for helix, notably spiral staircase and spiral binding of books. Mathematically this is incorrect but the terms are increasing in common

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