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12.1 The Ellipse
12.2 The Hyperbola
12.3 The Parabola
12.1 Section Exercises
An ellipse is the set of all points in the plane the sum of whose distances from two fixed points, called the foci, is a constant.
Center Vertices Focus
Note that this ellipse is a circle. The circle has only one focus, which coincides with the center.
12.2 Section Exercises
A hyperbola is the set of points in a plane the difference of whose distances from two fixed points (foci) is a positive constant.
12.3 Section Exercises
A parabola is the set of points in the plane that lie equidistant from a fixed point, the focus, and a fixed line, the directrix.
12.4 Section Exercises
12.5 Section Exercises
If eccentricity is less than 1, it is an ellipse. If eccentricity is equal to 1, it is a parabola. If eccentricity is greater than 1, it is a hyperbola.