Conic Section - A Geometric Construction using Eccentricity
- Author:
- Irina Boyadzhiev
- Topic:
- Constructions, Ellipse, Hyperbola
This applet shows a geometric construction of the conics based on their eccentricity. We use the following definition: Let be a line (directrix) and be a fixed point (focus) in the plane. A conic section is the locus of all points in the plane such that the ratio of the distances from to and from to is a constant. This constant is the eccentricity.
- Drag the slider to see how the conic section changes based on the eccenticity.
- Click the “Show Constructions” to see the details of the construction steps. The loci are based on the point moving along the ray , where .
- Drag point G and trace the loci.