The Conic Sections

If the animation does not appear, click here.

This animation shows how a plane intersects a cone to form the curves traditionally known as the "conic sections," which are ellipses, parabolae, and hyperbolae. (See notes below.)

I owe the idea for this animation to Preston Nichols' old web-site at Wittenberg University in Ohio. As I write this, he's at Shawnee State University, in Portsmouth, OH, but his old web-site is still in place at Wittenberg.

You may also want to see some related animations, including Tracing Out An Ellipse, A Proof of Quetelet and Dandelin, Another Proof of Quetelet and Dandelin, An Elliptic Reflector, A Parabolic Reflector, and A Hyperbolic Reflector. (12/01/07)