Conic Sections

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Conic Sections - Parabola

The intersection of a plane with one nappe of the cone is a parabola.

Aim: What is a parabola?

Do Now:

The line segment through the focus of a parabola and perpendicular to the axis of

symmetry is called the latus rectum.

The vertex is always halfway between the focus and the directrix, and the parabola always curves away from the directrix.

y=a(x-h)2 + kVertical Axis of symmetry

Function

x=a(y-k)2 + hHorizontal Axis of

symmetryNot a function

Do Now: