The Spiral and the Helix
Spirals and Helices
They are everywhere, graceful, curving shapes whose incredible
(1)
(regular)
regularity
contrasts so sharply with the random world around them We call them spirals
and helices but that hardly does
(2)
(just)
justice
to their diversity or their significance.
Over the centuries,
(3)
(mathematics)
mathematicians
have identified many different types,
but the most intriguing are those that
(4)
(repeat)
repeatedly (adverb)
occur in the natural world.
The need to
(5)
(ravel)
unravel
the mysteries of the existence of spirals
and helices has exercised some of the best scientific
brains in the world and opened the way to a number
of
(6)
(break)
breakthroughs
in fields as widely varied as genetics and
(7)
(meteor).
meteorology
The most
(8) (spectacle)
spectacular
spirals on earth are also the most unwelcome hurricanes.
Their
(9) (awe)
awesome
power
comes from the sun`s heat, but they owe their shape to the force caused
by the rotation of the earth.
After innumerable years of study, however, Nature`s spirals and helices have yet to
(10) (close)
disclose
all their secrets. For example, |
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