Image: Wikimedia Commons

helix

Smooth space curve

EntityQ201717

Also known as spiral · helices · helical

Subclass of: analytic manifold
, space curve
, shape
Part of: helicoid

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A helix is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth skew curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helices, and many proteins have helical substructures, known as alpha helices. The word helix comes from the Greek word ἕλιξ, "twisted, curved". A "filled-in" helix – for example, a "spiral" (helical) ramp – is a surface called a helicoid.

Overview

All data

22 statements · 36% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Different from: spiral criterion used: plane
helicoid
Helix

On other databases

16 identifiers linking helix across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

36%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 7, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). helix (Q201717). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/helix-Q201717