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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Given one rational point P on such a graph, there is an elegant way to find all the other rational points: Simply take each line that passes through P with a rational slope, and calculate the line’s second intersection point with the conic section.
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Quanta Magazine, 9 July 2013
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
The graphs of such curves are the conic sections — circles, parabolas, ellipses and hyperbolas.
—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 1 Jul. 2025.
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