I have changed my helix design from a circle to an oval. While redrawing my trackplan and adding in the labels, it occurred to me that technically I may no longer have a helix. So what should I call this thing? I suppose it can still be referred to as a helix in general terms, but if there is a more accurate name I’d like to use it. And I thought I wasn’t concerned with details! Jamie
I wouldn’t worry about what you call it. It serves the same purpose. Maybe you should name it after yourself and call it a (Smith) Ovlix.
Well, Brother Brunton calls his four-track extravaganza a helix, and it has semicircles separated by 24 inches of tangent.
If you call it a helix, the geometers may scowl - but at least we’ll all know what you’re doing. OTOH, if you call it an ‘Irving…’
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with one ‘not quite’ helix planned)
I don’t want to get too daring, but I am sure the helix police would allow it.
Bob
Oblix?
Helix refers to overlappiing circles, as in the the DNA helix. I plan to to do the same thing and I consider it to be an oval helix. Since I will have the room, I feel that making it an oval will lessen the drag on the engine. We’ll see.
An oval has a longer circumference than a circle of the same radius, so there is the additional advantage that the grade can be decreased.
Mark
My dictionary says that a helix is a winding around a uniform tube; doesn’t say that the tube must be round–just that it must be uniform from the top to the bottom!
old idea, works fine if care is taken to keep the effective grade reasonably consistent.
Here’s Rich Weyand’s.
The company that makes the “Easy Helix” kits for building helixes says you can get either round or oval helixes, so apparently either shape is a helix. [:)]