A hemihelix is a curved geometric shape consisting of a series of

helices A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space 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, ...

with alternating

chirality Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word ''chirality'' is derived from the Greek (''kheir''), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is ''chiral'' if it is distinguishable from ...

, connected by a

perversion Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although the term ''perversion'' can refer to a variety of forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are con ...

at the reversals. The formation of hemihelices with periodic distributions of perversions in slender structures is understood in terms of competing buckling instabilities generated by in-plane stresses.

References

Helices Geometric shapes Curves Articles containing video clips {{physics-stub