## Most recent change of Hyperbola

Edit made on November 22, 2008 by DerekCouzens at 21:12:11

Deleted text in red / Inserted text in green

WW
The Hyperbola is a conic section.
[[[> IMG:Hyperbola.png ]]]
The Hyperbola is a plane curve. The Hyperbola is a conic section.

The Hyperbola is defined as the path of a point (locus) which moves such that its distance from a fixed point (called the focus) is greater than its distance from a fixed line (called the directrix).

The ratio of the distance to the focus to the distance to the directrix is called the eccentricity normally denoted by e.

For an hyperbola therefore e > 1.

When the directrix is EQN:x=\frac{a}{e} and the focus is ( ae, 0) the hyperbola will have the equation EQN:\frac{x^2}{a^2}-\frac{y^2}{b^2}=1 where EQN:b^2=a^2(e^2-1)
When the directrix is EQN:x=\frac{a}{e} and the focus is ( ae, 0) the hyperbola will have the equation in Cartesian Coordinates EQN:\frac{x^2}{a^2}-\frac{y^2}{b^2}=1 where EQN:b^2=a^2(e^2-1)

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One of the Named Curves on this site.