Conic Sections – Notes

Section of a Cone

If a straight line intersects a fixed vertical line at a fixed point and rotates such that the angles between the two lines remains constant, then the resulting surface is called a double right circular cone.

The parts of a cone include a vertical axis, a generator line, a vertex and an upper nappe and a lower nappe.

When a plane intersects a cone, it cuts a section from the cone. This section is called a conic section or a conic.

Depending on a position of the intersecting plane and the angle it makes with the axis, a conic section can be a circle, an ellipse, a parabola or a hyperbola.