Conic Sections

Overview

A conic is a curve obtained as the intersection of a plane (called the cutting plane) with the surface of a right double cone (a cone with two nappes).

There are three types of conics: the ellipse, the parabola, and the hyperbola. The ellipse is a special kind of ellipse, though historically it was considered a fourth type.

Degenerate Conics

Planes that pass through the vertex of the double cone will intersect the double cone in a point, a line, or a pair of intersecting lines. These are called degenerate conics.