parabola
a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone with a plane parallel to a generator of the cone; the set of points in a plane that are equidistant from a fixed line and a fixed point in the same plane or in a parallel plane. Equation: y2 = 2px or x2 = 2py.
Origin of parabola
1Words Nearby parabola
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use parabola in a sentence
If you’ve ever taken an algebra or physics class, then you’ve met a parabola, the simple curve that can model how a ball flies through the air.
The Simple Math Behind the Mighty Roots of Unity | Patrick Honner | September 23, 2021 | Quanta MagazineThe most important part of a parabola is the vertex — its highest or lowest point — and there are many mathematical techniques for finding it.
The Simple Math Behind the Mighty Roots of Unity | Patrick Honner | September 23, 2021 | Quanta MagazineNew Shepard takes off like a traditional rocket, with a crew capsule separating near the peak of the flight parabola, arcing into space for three minutes of weightless sightseeing, and descending by parachute, while the rocket itself lands upright.
The Jeff Bezos-Richard Branson Space Race Is About More Than Two Billionaires' Egos | Jeffrey Kluger | July 9, 2021 | TimeIn math, parabolas are special U-shaped curves that form by slicing through a cone-shape.
Researchers reveal the secret to the perfect football throw | Harini Barath | December 15, 2020 | Science News For StudentsIf it wasn’t for the air, Ramirez says, the football would still trace a parabola because of gravity.
Researchers reveal the secret to the perfect football throw | Harini Barath | December 15, 2020 | Science News For Students
If the load travels the reverse way, the shearing force at the head of the train is given by the ordinates of the dotted parabola.
This parabola is the curve of maximum moments for a travelling load uniform per ft. run.
Now, except for very short bridges and very unequal loads, a parabola can be found which includes the curve of maximum moments.
Let we be the load per ft. run which would produce the maximum moments represented by this parabola.
The planet would then have moved in a parabola, or an hyperbola, curves not returning into themselves.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart Mill
British Dictionary definitions for parabola
/ (pəˈræbələ) /
a conic section formed by the intersection of a cone by a plane parallel to its side. Standard equation: y ² = 4 ax, where 2 a is the distance between focus and directrix
Origin of parabola
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for parabola
[ pə-răb′ə-lə ]
The curve formed by the set of points in a plane that are all equally distant from both a given line (called the directrix) and a given point (called the focus) that is not on the line.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for parabola
[ (puh-rab-uh-luh) ]
Notes for parabola
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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