conic section

American  

noun

Geometry.

1. a curve formed by the intersection of a plane with a right circular cone; an ellipse, a circle, a parabola, or a hyperbola.

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conic section British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: conic.  one of a group of curves formed by the intersection of a plane and a right circular cone. It is either a circle, ellipse, parabola, or hyperbola, depending on the eccentricity, e , which is constant for a particular curve e = 0 for a circle; e <1 for an ellipse; e = 1 for a parabola; e>1 for a hyperbola

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conic section Scientific  

1. A curve formed by the intersection of a plane with a cone. Conic sections can appear as circles, ellipses, hyperbolas, or parabolas, depending on the angle of the intersecting plane relative to the cone's base.

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Etymology

Origin of conic section

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

To work with a conic section written in polar form, first make the constant term in the denominator equal to 1.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

If the plane is perpendicular to the axis of revolution, the conic section is a circle.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

If the plane is parallel to the generating line, the conic section is a parabola.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

The method for graphing a conic section with rotated axes involves determining the coefficients of the conic in the rotated coordinate system.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

Culture came to him first, while yet he abode in Philistia, under the playful disguise of a conic section.

From Philistia by Allen, Grant