What is your definition of a parabola???

Question

Where do you see them???...tom science

Answer 1

plane curve consisting of all points equidistant from a given fixed point (focus) and a given fixed line (directrix). It is the conic section cut by a plane parallel to one of the elements of the cone. The axis of a parabola is the line through the focus perpendicular to the directrix. The vertex is the point at which the axis intersects the curve. The latus rectum is the chord through the focus perpendicular to the axis.


balistic devices scribe a parabola as the path they travel.
baseballs, basketball, and bullets all travel in a parabola.


Yours: Grumpy

Answer 2

A conic section produced by making a planar cut parallel to a slope of a right circular cone. In general, they are used as second order approximations to many real world functions. (see taylor series) Examples include economic optimization, area optimization, ballistics, constant acceleration, and fluid mechanics. Related curves include the hyperbola, the catenary, the quartic, cosine, cosh, etc. A parabola can be produced from three points or another set of three independent restrictions, a notable example being a directrix (line = 2 restrictions) and focus (point = 1 restriction).

PoohP, comets follow hyperbolas, not parabolas.

Answer 3

The curve plotted by quadratic equations (i.e. functions of order two); the only exponents of the independent variable are either one (1) and two (2) or just two (2). You can also have minus one (-1) combined with one (1) for the independent variable, thus yielding a quadratic. For example y [or f(x)] = 1+ X^-1 + 2x is a quadratic. Y = x^2 is a quadratic. Generally, Y = ax^2 + bx + c is a quadratice, and if you manipulate y [or f(x)] = 1+ X^-1 + 2x properly, you will get the general form.

Answer 4

the locus of all points which r equidistant from a fixed point and a fixed line is called a parabola.draw the graph of a quadratic equation u get one.throw a ball in to the air making some angle.u see a part of a parabola

Answer 5

Let L be a line and F a point not on L.

Define the set of points

P = { x | d(x,F) = d(x,L) }

where d(...,...) stands for "distance between". Then P is a parabola (and every parabola can be written in this form).

Answer 6

a plane curve generated by a point moving so that its distance from a fixed point is equal to its distance from a fixed line : the intersection of a right circular cone with a plane parallel to an element of the cone (webster.com)

a more simple definition is the graph of a quadratic function.

well parabola is used every where that mathematics is used.

Answer 7

The highest order variable must be squared
(for a two dimensional graph).

Many comets do a one time parabolic orbit
around the Earth before disappearing forever.

Answer 8

when u substitute the value of x in the eq'n ax+bx^x
and plot it on a graph sheet u get a parabola

Answer 9

hkl and DutchProf are equal and the best mathematically.
Since the question is placed in physics, I add:
When you rotate a liquid, its surface will be a paraboloid.
The cross section through its one and only axis is a parabola.
Th

Answer 10

a set of points such that their distance between a fixed point and and a fixed line are equal.