Difference between revisions of "Parabola"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m (copyedit) |
(path taken by an object in orbit around a star) |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
A parabola is the path taken by an object in motion subject to a uniform [[acceleration]], such as [[gravity]], ignoring friction. | A parabola is the path taken by an object in motion subject to a uniform [[acceleration]], such as [[gravity]], ignoring friction. | ||
[[category:Plane Geometry]] | [[category:Plane Geometry]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | It is also the path taken by an object in orbit around a star or planet, when it travels precisely at [[escape velocity]]; compare [[ellipse]] and [[hyperbola]]. | ||
Revision as of 02:46, May 22, 2010
A parabola is a curve on a plane, consisting of all the points that are equidistant from a point called the focus and a line, called the directrix.
It is a conic section, the intersection of a plane and a cone where the plane is parallel one side of the cone.
The general algebraic formula for a parabola is:
A parabola is the path taken by an object in motion subject to a uniform acceleration, such as gravity, ignoring friction.
It is also the path taken by an object in orbit around a star or planet, when it travels precisely at escape velocity; compare ellipse and hyperbola.