MAT 121 Lecture Notes - Curve, Hyperbola, Ellipse
Document Summary
The conic sections, or conics, are curves obtained by making sections, or cuts, at particular angles through a cone. In the description below, we shall use diagrams showing just a part of a cone, but you should imagine that the cone extends infinitely far. We shall also talk about the axis of the cone, and a generator. the axis is the central line about which the cone is symmetric. A generator is a line which, when rotated about the axis, sweeps out the cone: the sections of a cone. If we cut a cone at different angles, then we will obtain different types of conic section. There are four different types we can obtain. First, we can make the obvious cut, or section, perpendicular to the axis of the cone. Next, we can make the cut at an. Angle to the axis of the cone, so that we still get a closed curve which is no longer a circle.
