Conic Sections Cheat Sheet

Table 1. Comparison of Conic Section Types

See below for more information about the features compared in this table.

Choose a type of conic to learn more about its features and formulas.

General Equation Features

The general equation of a conic section is

The discriminant is the number

Graph Features

On the Curve

Vertex: an extreme point or turning point

Not on the Curve

Focus: a point used to define the conic section, the curve bends around this point. (Plural: foci)

Directrix: a straight line used to define the conic section. (Plural: directrices)

A conic section is the set of all points P such that the distance from P to the nearest focus is a constant multiple of the distance from P to the nearest directrix.

Eccentricity

The eccentricity e of a conic section is the distance from any point P on the curve to the nearest focus, divided by the distance from P to the nearest directrix.

A Note About Circles

A circle is a special type of ellipse, where A = B in the general conic equation. For a circle,

  • Eccentricity is defined as e = 0.

  • The center is the focus.

  • There are no directrices.

  • There are no vertices.

Since the eccentricity of a circle is 0, the eccentricity of a conic can be thought of as how much the curve deviates from being circular.

Formulas in this tutorial were generated with QuickLaTeX.com