Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Conic Sections: Definitions and Equations

Description

This lecture covers the general definition of a conic based on eccentricity, focusing on parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas. It explains the equations of these conic sections and their geometric properties, such as directrix and focus. The lecture also delves into applications of conic sections in geometry and provides examples to illustrate the concepts.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Geometry: Euclidean geometry

Related concepts (32)

Confocal conic sections

In geometry, two conic sections are called confocal if they have the same foci. Because ellipses and hyperbolas have two foci, there are confocal ellipses, confocal hyperbolas and confocal mixtures of ellipses and hyperbolas. In the mixture of confocal ellipses and hyperbolas, any ellipse intersects any hyperbola orthogonally (at right angles). Parabolas have only one focus, so, by convention, confocal parabolas have the same focus and the same axis of symmetry.

Hyperbola

In mathematics, a hyperbola (haɪˈpɜrbələ; pl. hyperbolas or hyperbolae -liː; adj. hyperbolic ˌhaɪpərˈbɒlɪk) is a type of smooth curve lying in a plane, defined by its geometric properties or by equations for which it is the solution set. A hyperbola has two pieces, called connected components or branches, that are mirror images of each other and resemble two infinite bows. The hyperbola is one of the three kinds of conic section, formed by the intersection of a plane and a double cone.

Ellipse

In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special type of ellipse in which the two focal points are the same. The elongation of an ellipse is measured by its eccentricity , a number ranging from (the limiting case of a circle) to (the limiting case of infinite elongation, no longer an ellipse but a parabola).

Parabola

In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One description of a parabola involves a point (the focus) and a line (the directrix). The focus does not lie on the directrix. The parabola is the locus of points in that plane that are equidistant from the directrix and the focus.

Conic section

A conic section, conic or a quadratic curve is a curve obtained from a cone's surface intersecting a plane. The three types of conic section are the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse; the circle is a special case of the ellipse, though it was sometimes called as a fourth type. The ancient Greek mathematicians studied conic sections, culminating around 200 BC with Apollonius of Perga's systematic work on their properties. The conic sections in the Euclidean plane have various distinguishing properties, many of which can be used as alternative definitions.

Related lectures (30)

Conic Sections: Determining Parameters

Explores the determination of conic section parameters and the laws of Kepler in celestial mechanics.

Conics in the Plane: Uniform Description of 3 Conics Log in to Mediaspace to watch this video

Explores the construction and properties of parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas in the plane.

Conic Sections: Ellipse, Parabola, Hyperbola Log in to Mediaspace to watch this video

Explores conic sections like ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, their properties, constructions, and perspectives in 2D and 3D spaces.

Dandelin Theorem: Ellipse Construction Log in to Mediaspace to watch this video

Explores ellipse construction using the Dandelin theorem and properties of conics in space.

Hyperboloid Surfaces: Sections and Developability Log in to Mediaspace to watch this video