Mathematics · Ch 5 — Two Dimensional Analytical Geometry-II
Conics
5.3
Conics
Definition 5.2. A conic is the locus of a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a fixed point (the focus) bears a constant ratio (the eccentricity, ) to its perpendicular distance from a fixed line not through the focus (the directrix).
This single definition, varying only the value of , generates every non-circular conic:
| Eccentricity | Conic |
|---|---|
| Parabola | |
| Ellipse | |
| Hyperbola |