x(u,v) = v cos(u)
y(u,v) = v sin(u)
z(u,v) = a u
where:
- u ranges from 0 to 6ð, scanning three full circles on the XY-plane (this produces three turns on the cochlear surface).
- v ranges from 0 to 2, scanning the cochlea's surface from its vertical axis at the origin to its rim.
- a is a constant having the value -0.42 in this plot; higher values of a make the cochlear "wave length" longer.
Note: The cochlea (in Greek: "kokhlias") is one of the devices attributed to the mathematician Archimedes, used in ancient times (some say even today, in certain places) for pumping up water from wells, when fitted in a tube.
Ancestor: Disc.
Descendants: Broken Accordeon.