Conic Section

Circle (Description):
A circle is a closed two-dimensional figure in which the set of all the points in the plane is
equidistant from a given point called “centre”. Every line that passes through the circle forms the
line of reflection symmetry. Also, it has rotational symmetry around the centre for every angle.
General Form of Equation:
( x - h )^2 + ( y - k )^2 = r^2, where ( h, k ) is the center and r is the radius.
Standard Form of Equation:
(x−h)2+(y−k)2=r2. The center is (h,k) and the radius measures r units.
Important Lengths and Distances (w/ Description):

The distance around the boundary of a circle is called the circumference.

The distance across a circle through the centre is called the diameter.

The distance from the centre of a circle to any point on the boundary is called the radius. The
radius is half of the diameter; 2r=d2r=d.

The line segment that joins two points on the circle is a chord. Every diameter is a chord, but not
every chord is a diameter.
The area that a chord cuts off is called a segment.

The area inside a circle and bounded by two radii is a sector.

The length between two points around the circumference of a circle is an arc.
Sample Graphs:

Real-life Application:
Circles are all around us! Some of the real-world examples of circles are:

 The wheel of a bicycle

 Coin
 Dinner plate
 Wall clock
  Ferris wheels
Parabola (Description):
Parabola open curve, a conic section produced by the intersection of a right circular cone and a
plane parallel to an element of the cone. As a plane curve, it may be defined as the path (locus)
of a point moving so that its distance from a fixed line (the directrix) is equal to its distance from
a fixed point (the focus).
General Form of Equation:
y = ax 2 + bx + c (vertex form y = a(x - h) 2 + k) where, (h,k) = vertex of the parabola.
Standard Form of Equation:
(x - h)2 = 4p(y - k), where p≠ 0. The vertex of this parabola is at (h, k). The focus is at (h, k + p).
The directrix is the line y = k - p.
Important Lengths and Distances (w/ Description):

We begin with a review of the distance formula. Given two points ( x1,  y1)  and ( x2,  y2)  in a

rectangular coordinate plane, the distance d between them is given by the distance formula,
d=√(x2−x1)2+(y2−y1)2

Furthermore, the point that bisects the line segment formed by these two points is called
the midpoint and is given by the formula,

(x1+x22,   y1+y22)

The midpoint is an ordered pair formed by the average of the x-values and the average of the y-
values.

Sample Graphs:
Real-life Application:
 Shape of a Banana. The curved shape of a banana closely resembles a parabola. ...
 Roller Coasters. The curves of a roller coaster track can be easily observed and compared
with the shape of a parabola. ...
 Bridges. ...
 Arch. ...
 Slinky Toy. ...
 Brand Name Logos. ...
 Rainbow. ...
 Wheel Pose.