Built with Processing return to Dr. Conroy's Math Department page |
This applet illustrates the equiangular spiral given by the polar equation r=a eb θ. The upper slider controls a and the middle slider controls b. The bottom slider controls the direction of the red ray extending outward from the origin. Where this ray intersects the spiral, a tangent line to the spiral is shown. Notice that for a given spiral, the angle between the ray and the blue lines is constant. This is the "equiangular" property that give the spiral its name. Try a nice small value for b and then move the ray around to see the multiple intersections. |