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conic section

noun

Definition of conic section

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

Illustration of conic section

Illustration of conic section

conic section 1: 1 straight lines, 2 circle, 3 ellipse, 4 parabola, 5 hyperbola

Examples of conic section in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 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. — Quanta Magazine, "Mathematicians Shed Light on Minimalist Conjecture," 9 July 2013 The graphs of such curves are the conic sections — circles, parabolas, ellipses and hyperbolas. — Quanta Magazine, "Mathematicians Shed Light on Minimalist Conjecture," 9 July 2013

First Known Use of conic section

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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