Illustration of conic section
- 1 straight lines
- 2 circle
- 3 ellipse
- 4 parabola
- 5 hyperbola
conic section
noun
1
: a plane curve, line, pair of intersecting lines, or point that is the intersection of or bounds the intersection of a plane and a cone with two nappes
2
: a curve generated by a point which always moves so that the ratio of its distance from a fixed point to its distance from a fixed line is constant
Examples of conic section in a Sentence
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The graphs of such curves are the conic sections — circles, parabolas, ellipses and hyperbolas.
—
Quanta Magazine,
9 July 2013
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Quanta Magazine,
9 July 2013
Cite this Entry
“Conic section.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conic%20section. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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