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What is a parabola?

Updated: 12/20/2022
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15y ago

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A form of arch defined by a moving point which remains equidistant from a fixed point inside the arch and a moving point along a line. This shape when inverted into an arch structure results in a form which allows equal vertical loading along its length. A parabola is the graph of a quadratic equation. Mathworld has some nice drawings. Need a link? You got it. A Parabola is the set of all points that are equidistant from a point and a line. The line is called the directrix and the point is called the focus. Each point on the parabola is as far from the directrix as it is from the focus. It is the same shape of a curve you will find in the reflector of a flashlight bulb, or in the arc of a Baseball when it is thrown or hit.

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Q: What is a parabola?
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Related questions

How do you find the endpoints of a parabola when you have the function of the line?

A parabola has no endpoints: it extends to infinity.A parabola has no endpoints: it extends to infinity.A parabola has no endpoints: it extends to infinity.A parabola has no endpoints: it extends to infinity.


Is a parabola the same as a parabolic curve?

No. If you tilt a parabola, you will still have a parabolic curve but it will no longer be a parabola.


Parabola is the point at which the parabola is at its lowest or highest point?

A parabola is NOT a point, it is the whole curve.


What curved path traveled by a thrown baseball is known as?

projectile motion


The maximum or minimum of a parabola depending on whether the parabola opens up or down?

A parabola opening up has a minimum, while a parabola opening down has a maximum.


What is the parabola effect?

what are the effects of the sign a and n to the parabola


What is the diameter of a parabola?

It is the bisector of any 2 parallel chords drawn to the parabola. It is always parallel to the axis of the parabola.


What is the name of the point you use to define a parabola?

All of the points on a parabola define a parabola. However, the vertex is the point in which the y value is only used for one point on the parabola.


When was Parabola - song - created?

Parabola - song - was created in 2001.


What is the midpoint of the parabola between the focus and the directrix?

It is the apex of the parabola.


Where is the line of symmety located on a parabola?

The line of symmetry located on a parabola is right down the center. A parabola is a U shape. Depending on the direction of the parabola it either has a x axis of symmetry or y axis of symmetry. You should have two equal sides of the parabola.


Does a parabola have to have an x-intercept?

No, a parabola does not have to have an x-intercept. ex. -2(x-2)^2 - 4 is a parabola that has no x-intercept.