noun
- plural of hyperbola; curved lines formed when a plane cuts through both halves of a double cone, or the set of all points where the difference of distances to two fixed points is constant
Usage: mathematics; geometry
Examples
- The students graphed several hyperbolas on their coordinate planes.
- Hyperbolas have two separate curved branches that extend infinitely.
- In conic sections, we study circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas.
- The equation produced two hyperbolas opening in opposite directions.
- Hyperbolas appear in many real-world applications, including satellite orbits.
- The math teacher explained how to identify hyperbolas by their equations.