The Parabola is a set of points equal from any given fixed line (known as the ditrex) and fixed point (known as the focus) which forms a curve on the same plane. To define a parabola, three points must be graphed. Parabolas have applications throughout the world from tennis ball arks to ocean waves. They are used to graph quadratic equations. Parabolas are a type of conic section. With Parabolas you can see the distance between many different points. Parabolas have various components such as the axis of symmetry, quadratic function, etc. Also, parabolas has two different forms known as the vertex and standard form. The Parabola has a minimum and maximum which tells you the way the curve is facing. Mathematicians have many uses for parabolas. Menaechmus discovered the parabola by attempting to duplicate a cube, he was solving x3 = 2. While Euclid wrote about the …show more content…
The axis of symmetry is a vertical line that evenly separates the parabola into half. The axis of symmetry always goes straight through the vertex. Both sides of the axis of symmetry mirror each other so if you know one point on the left side of the parabola; you also know a point on the right side. Another, point is the ditrex which is a horizontal line that is 90 degrees (or perpendicular) from the axis of symmetry. When the axis of symmetry and the parabola meet or intersect, this point is known as the vertex. Next, if the parabola opens upward, the vertex is the minimum point. On the other hand if the parabola opens downward then the vertex is the maximum point. You can use two different formulas to find the axis of symmetry. The focus is another important component of parabolas. This point is located within the parabola. The most important fact about the parabola is that the points have to be equidistant. For example the distance between the vertex and the focus has to be the same distance between the vertex and detrix. Parabolas have various