The well-known geometrical figure of the spiral of Archimedes can be visualized in the form of the trajectory of an ant moving evenly along the second hand of the clock. It is known that Archimedes used the properties of such a spiral when solving the problem of dividing an angle into three equal parts. In the simplest case, a compass and a ruler are required to build a spiral. More advanced artists will need a computer.
It is necessary
- - paper;
- - compasses;
- - ruler;
- - FreeHand graphic editor.
Instructions
Step 1
Take a piece of paper and draw a horizontal line on it. On this line, mark two points spaced from each other, say, 5 mm. Place the leg of the compass at one of these points and draw an arc with the specified radius equal to half of the circle. In this case, the ends of the arc will rest on a horizontal line.
Step 2
Now move the leg of the compass to the second of the two previously marked points and make the opening of the compass so that the pencil is at the end of the first arc. Draw the half circle again, which will rest on the horizontal line.
Step 3
Acting in a similar way, successively rearrange the leg of the compass alternately to the first, then to the second point, while increasing the solution of the compass. Rotate the spiral a few times to get a complete picture of this shape.
Step 4
Use the Macromedia FreeHand vector graphics editor to draw a spiral on your computer. Select the Xtras add-on spiral drawing tool in the editor. Click on the Spiral button in the Xtra Tools palette. You can display the palette by pressing Ctrl + Alt + X.
Step 5
Since the Spiral tool has many settings, double click on the tool button to bring up the settings window. Select a concentric spiral in the adjustment window. Its coils will be at an equal distance from each other. In the Draw by field, select the Rotations value. This will draw a spiral with a specific number of turns. Set the number of turns in the Number of rotations field.
Step 6
If necessary, also set other parameters of the future spiral, including the direction of its rotation. In the Draw field, select Center, which draws a spiral from the center. If you want to choose the opposite drawing method, select Edge. The third item - Corner (Corner) is used to draw a spiral within a rectangular area, the dimensions of which are set when dragging the "mouse". After selecting all the desired settings, click OK.
