What is a cone?

A cone is a distinctive three-dimensional geometric figure that has a flat surface and
a curved surface, pointed towards the top. The pointed end of the cone is called
the apex, whereas the flat surface is called the base.

Some examples of cone are:

• Ice-Cream Cones
• Birthday Caps
• Prism
• Traffic Cones
• Funnel

What is Conic Section?

• Conic section is a curve obtained by the intersection of the surface of a cone

with a plane.

• In Analytical Geometry, a conic is defined as a plane algebraic curve of

degree 2. That is, it consists of a set of points which satisfy a quadratic
equation in two variables. This quadratic equation may be written in matrix
form. By this, some geometric properties can be studied as algebraic
conditions.

• Thus, by cutting and taking different slices(planes) at different angles to the

edge of a cone, we can create a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, or a
hyperbola, as given below

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 Source: ellipsesconicsections.weebly.com

• The circle is a type of ellipse, the other sections are non-circular. So, the circle
is of fourth type.

Conic section standard forms:

source: slideplayer.com

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Some important real life applications of Parabola

• A ball thrown high, follows a parabolic path.

• A roller coaster takes the path of rise and fall of a parabolic track of the sea.

source: s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com
• Parabola is found in nature and in works of man.

Some important real life applications of Ellipse

• When a tumbler of water is tilted, an elliptical surface of water is seen.

• Electrons in the atom move around the nucleus in an elliptical path of orbit.

source: lh3.googleusercontent.com
• Elliptical training machines enable running or walking without straining the
heart.

Some important real life applications of Hyperbola

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 • A guitar is an example of hyperbola as its sides form hyperbola.
• Gear Transmission having pair of hyperbolic gears. It is with skewed axles and
hourglass shape giving hyperbola shape. The hyperbolic gears transmit
motion to the skewed axle.

Source: Wolfram.com
• Satellite systems, Radio systems use hyperbolic functions.

Some important real-life applications of conics

• Planets travel around the Sun in elliptical routes at one focus.

• Mirrors used to direct light beams at the focus of the parabola are parabolic.
• Car headlights and spotlights are designed based on parabola’s principles.
• The path travelled by objects thrown into air is parabolic.

Source: scarface tutorials

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• Hyperbolas are used in long range navigation systems called LORAN.

Source: wikimedia.org

• Telescopes use parabolic mirrors.

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