conic section
Americannoun
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a curve formed by the intersection of a plane with a right circular cone; an ellipse, a circle, a parabola, or a hyperbola.
noun
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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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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.
Etymology
Origin of conic section
First recorded in 1655–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The focal parameter of a conic section p is defined as the distance from a focus to the nearest directrix.
From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016
To determine the angle θ of rotation of the conic section, we use the formula cot 2θ = A − C .
From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016
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
In particular, we assume that one of the foci of a given conic section lies at the pole.
From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016
In order to do this, we must first determine the social properties of a conic section.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.