In Geometry, the conic section, also known as conic, is a curve that is formed by the

intersection of a plane and a right circular cone. Conic sections are classified into four groups
namely Circle, Parabola, Hyperbola, and Ellipses. None of the conic sections will pass
through the vertices of the cone. Conic sections received their name because each conic
section is represented by a conic section of a plane cutting through cones.

Conic sections are widely used in Physics, Optical Mechanics, orbits, and others. If the right-
circular cone is formed by the plane perpendicular to the axis of the cone, the intersection is
considered a Circle. If the plane intersects on one of the pieces of the cone and its axis and
not perpendicular to the axis, the intersection will be an ellipse. To form a parabola, the
intersection plane must be parallel to one side of the cone and it should intersect one piece of
the cone. And, at last, to form a hyperbola, the plane intersects both pieces of the cone. In
this case, the slope of the intersecting plane should be more than that of the cone.

Conic Section Definition

A conic section is defined as a curve obtained as the intersection of the cone with a plane.
Hyperbola, Parabola, and Circle are three types of conic sections. The circle is a special case
of the ellipse and often considered as the fourth type of conic section.

Conic Equation
The general conic equation for any of the conic section is given by:
Axy² + Bxy + Cy² + Dx + Ey + F = 0
Where A, B, C, and D are constants. The shape of the corresponding conic gets changed as
the value of the constant changes. If the constant B is zero, then the conic section is formed
either horizontally or vertically.

The standard form of conic section equation for each of the conic section is given below:

Standard Form of Conic Section Equations

 (x - h)² + (y The coordinates of the center of the circle is (h, k).
Circle
- k)² = r² 'r' is the radius of the circle.

 (h, k) are the coordinates of the center of the

hyperbola.
Hyperbola With (x - h)²/a²-
 Distance between the vertices of the hyperbola
Horizontal Transverse (y - k)²/b² =
is given as 2a whereas the distance between the
Axis 1
foci is given as 2c.
c² = a² + b²

 (h,k) are the coordinates of the center of

hyperbola.
Hyperbola With (y - k)²/a² -
 Distance between the vertices of the hyperbola
Vertical Transverse (x - h)²/b² =
is given as 2a whereas the distance between the
Axis 1
foci is given as 2c.
c² = a² + b²

 (h,k) are the coordinates of the centre of Ellipse.

 The length of the major axis is 2a
(x - h)²/a²-
Ellipse With  The length of the minor axis is 2b.
(y - k)²/b² =
Horizontal Axis  Distance between the center and either focus is
1
c with
c² = a² - b², a > b > 0
  (h,k) are the coordinates of the center of Ellipse.
 The length of the major axisx is 2a
(y - k)²/b² -
Ellipse With Vertical  The length of the minor axis is 2b.
(x - h)²/a² =
Axis  Distance between the center and either focus is
1
c with.
c² = a² - b², a > b > 0

(y - k)² =  (h,k) are the coordinates of the center of

4p(x - h) Parabola.
Parabola With
 The directrix of parabola is defined by the
Horizontal Axis
equation x = h - p.
p≠0  Axis is the line y = k.

(x - h)² =  (h,k) are the coordinates of the center of

Parabola.
Parabola With Vertical 4p(y - k)
 The directrix of the parabola is defined by the
Axis
equation x = k - p.
p≠0  Axis is the line x = h

Graphing Conic Sections

A conic section is a curve formed from the intersection of the right circular cone and a plane.
The curves of the conic sections are best explained with the use of a plane and two napped
cones. Conic sections are formed when a plane intersects the two napped cones. The
graphing conic sections show how a plane and two napped cones form parabola, circle,
ellipse, and hyperbola. Let us now understand the graphs of different conic sections.

Circle
A circle is defined in terms of points, known as the center, and a non-zero length known as
the radius. A circle is a locus of points located a radius away from the center. The conic
section equation of a circle is (x - h)² + (y - k)² = r². Here, (h, k) are the coordinates of the
center and are the radius of the circle.
Parabola
A parabola is defined in terms of line, known as directrix, and the point not on line is known
as the focus. A parabola is the locus of points that are equidistant from both the focus and
directrix. The axis of symmetry is the line that divides the parabola symmetrically whereas the
vertex of the parabola is the intersection of the parabola and axis of symmetry.

The equation of the parabola which opens horizontally is (y - k)² = 4p(x - h), p ≠ 0.
Here (h, k) are the coordinates of the vertex. The directrix according to the equation is given
as x = h - p. The focus of the parabola has coordinates (h + p, k). The parabola graph shown
below shows how horizontal parabola looks in terms of its equation.
The equation of the parabola which opens vertically is (x - h)² = 4p(y - k), p ≠ 0.
Here (h, k) are the coordinates of the vertex. The directrix according to the equation is given
as y = k - p. The focus of the parabola has coordinates (h, k + p). The parabola graph shown
below shows how vertical parabola looks in terms of its equation.

Ellipse
An ellipse is defined in terms of two points known as foci. An ellipse is the locus of points for
which the sum of the distance to each focus is constant. The constant amount is equivalent to
the length of the major axis. The general equation of the ellipse is given as (x - h)²/a² - (y -
k)²/b² = 1. Here (h, k) are the coordinates of the center of the ellipse. The center of the ellipse
is the midpoint of two foci. The chord which passes through two foci is known as the major
axis whereas the chord that passes through the center and is perpendicular to the major axis
is known as the minor axis.
If a > b, then the ellipse will have a horizontal major axis of length 2a and a vertical minor axis
of length 2b.
The foci of the ellipse is located at
(h−a2−b2−−−−−−√,k(h−a2−b2,k
, and

(h+a2−b2−−−−−−√,k(h+a2−b2,k
. The graph of an ellipse when a > b is given below.

(Image will be uploaded soon)

If a < b, then the ellipse will have a vertical major axis of length 2b and a vertical minor axis of
length 2a. If a = b, then the ellipse is considered as a circle.

The foci of the ellipse is located at

(h,k−b2−a2−−−−−−√(h,k−b2−a2
, and
 (h,k+b2−a2−−−−−−√(h,k+b2−a2
. The graph of an ellipse when a < b is given below.