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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conic section

What effect does the term have on the graph of a conic section?

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

Because the discriminant is invariant, observing it enables us to identify the conic section.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

If a conic section is written as a polar equation, what must be true of the denominator?

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

For the following exercises, convert the polar equation of a conic section to a rectangular equation.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

It appears, then, that a conic section may be defined as the locus of a point which is equally distant from a given point and from the circumference of a given circle.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 803, May 23, 1891 by Various

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