Question

What do the foci tell you about the conic section?

Answer 1

Foci of conic section:

A focus is a point used to draw a conic section. For each of the conic, the focus is used differently.

• The focus of a circle: It has one focus. The circle is formed by all the points that are equidistant from the focus. The focus of a circle is known as the center of the circle.

• The focus of a parabola: A parabola has one focus. The construction of a parabola is based on the focus and directrix. A parabola is a set of points such that the distance of the point from the focus is equal to the distance from the directrix.

• The foci of an ellipse: An ellipse is formed by a set of points in a plane such that the sum of the distance from a point to each focus is constant.

• The foci of a hyperbola: A hyperbola is formed by the set of points in a plane such that the difference between the distances from a point to each focus is constant.

Hence, foci of different conic section is explained.