g scale helix...anyone built one into their layouts?

But the other (Oxford) definition of a spiral indicates that radius is constant - as in spiral staircase or a thread on a bolt. The idiosyncrasies of the English language?
 
I think the difference is that the radius of a helix is constant but the radius of a spiral may be constant or may vary.
 
muns said:
A Helix is:

an object having a three-dimensional shape like that of a wire wound uniformly in a single layer around a cylinder or cone, as in a corkscrew or spiral staircase

A Spiral is:

winding in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve, either around a central point on a flat plane or about an axis so as to form a cone

The main differences is the radius of the curve, the radius of a helix is constant, the radius of a spiral increases or decreases.
Click to expand...

and once again in English please :D
 
[quote author=3Valve link=topic=300116.msg334548#msg334548 date=1417553112]
Ah OK, what is a helix then? I`ve obviously misunderstood.
[/quote]

A helix......

helix_130830_liseberg_35.jpg



tee heee.........
 
Spiral...
spiral.png

Helix...
helix.png

You can say that a Helix is a Spiral with a constant radius.  And a Spiral staircase is a helix!

DNA is a double helix!
 
Digging around, it seems that a spiral is two-dimensional, e.g. the groove in a record, while a helix is a three-dimensional spiral, e.g. a spring. The question of whether the radius varies seems to be irrelevant. So, all helixes (or is it helices?) are spirals, but not all spirals are helices (or is it helixes?)
 
Now in US it is called a loop......

This is the one that I fashioned earlier in the year

After the bushes were cleared away and it was being planned/sited

helix before.jpg


As it is before the finished trestle, bedding for the raised track and cribbing

new loop show tunnel exit and bridge with under pass.jpg
 
playmofire said:
Maybe the photos are not showing everything, but does one loop a spiral or a helix make?
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Very rare to see a real helix on an outdoor G scale layout (very often they are used on indoor OO,HO,N,TT,Z scale ones though).
So perhaps we can be a little more grandiose about our single loop helixes...... ;) :o
 
I think my helix, previously known as a spiral, is now a grandiose single loop helix :D :D
 
beavercreek said:
you want a helix....

[attachimg=1]
Click to expand...
Yup! That's what I think of as a helix. Would need a fair amount of space in G if you wanted to keep the gradient reasonable.
 
korm kormsen said:
to make everything clearer, in north America they call the end of a dog-bone a loop too and a returning loop as well.
Click to expand...

Ah yes that is because, across the pond, they are just plain loopy..............only joking! :o
 
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