Section: Geometry

INDEX
 

Introduction

Aims

Preliminary construction

Geometric construction of conic sections

GEOMETRIC construcTION OF CONIC SECTIONS
INTRODUCTION

In this unit you will learn how to construct different conic sections (the parabola, the hyperbola and the ellipse) geometrically using basic geometric elements such as segments,  their midpoints, perpendicular lines and circles.

You will be able to draw these shapes in the windows as if you were drawing on a sheet of paper, the only difference being that the computer will save you having to draw several straight lines by hand.

AIMS
  • To improve the ability to visualise geometric shapes actively.
  • To gain a basic insight in order to be able to access other units where conic sections are introduced using coordinates. Also, where their Cartesian equations are obtained using metric properties of certain points called foci.

  Agustín Muñoz Núñez
 
Spanish Ministry of Education. Year 2001
 
 

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