Helical symmetry

Imagine you have a toy snake. It's made up of little parts, and each part is shaped like a cylinder or a tube. Now, let's say you want to arrange all the parts in a special way. You start at one end and twist the snake around and around until you reach the other end.

You've just created something called a "helix". A helix is a shape that looks like a spiral staircase. If you look at it from the side, you'll see that it's shaped like a coil or a spring.

Helical symmetry is all about arranging things so they look the same no matter how you rotate them around the helix. This is kind of like looking at a spinning top - no matter which way it's facing, it still looks the same because its shape is symmetrical.

Scientists use helical symmetry to study things like viruses and bacteria. These tiny organisms are made up of even tinier parts - like the parts in our toy snake. By understanding how the parts are arranged in a helix, scientists can learn more about how these organisms work and how we can fight diseases they cause.