TERMINOLOGIES IN PRE- CALCULUS

CIRCLE
CIRLCE -A closed, round geometric figure in which the set of all the points in the plane is equidistant
from a given point called ‘center’
Parts of a Circle
1) Radius – The line that joins the center of the circle to the outer boundary. It is usually represented by
‘r’ or ‘R’. The plural of radius is called radii.
2) Diameter – The line segment whose endpoints lie on the circle and that passes through the center. Its
length is twice the length of a radius. It is represented by as -‘d’ or ‘D’.
So, r = d/2 or R = D/2
3) Chord – The line segment whose endpoints lie on the circle, thus dividing a circle into two regions.
The diameter is the longest chord of a circle.
4) Secant – An extended chord that cuts the circle at two distinct points.
5) Arc – The connected section of the circumference of a circle.
6) Tangent – A line that touches the circumference of a circle at a point.
7) Sector – A region bounded by two radii of equal length with a common center.
8) Segment – The segment of a circle is the region bounded by a chord and the arc subtended by the
chord.

PARABOLA
What Is a Parabola?
The section of a right circular cone by a plane parallel to a generator of the cone is a parabola. It is a
locus of a point, which moves so that the distance from a fixed point (focus) is equal to the distance from
a fixed line (directrix).

A fixed point is called the focus

A fixed line is called the directrix

The Parabola is a conic section that is formed when a cone is cut by a plane parallel to one lateral
side of the cone. The parabola has the main characteristic that all its points are located at the same
distance from a point called the focus and a line called the directrix. Other important elements
of a parabola are the vertex, the axis, the latus rectum, and the focal length.

VERTEX
The vertex of the parabola is its extreme point. If the parabola opens upwards, the vertex represents the
lowest point in the parabola. And it symbol V

Focus
The focus is a fixed point used to define the parabola. This point is not located on the parabola, but
inside. The focus is denoted by F.
Focal length
The focal length is the length between the vertex and the focus.
Latus rectum
The latus rectum is a line perpendicular to the line joining the vertex and the focus and is four times the
length of the focal length.
Directrix
The directrix is a straight line in front of the parabola. We use d to represent the directrix. The distance
between the directrix and the vertex is the same as the distance between the focus and the vertex.
Axis
The axis of the parabola is a line perpendicular to the directrix. The axis represents the line of symmetry
of the parabola.

ELLIPSE
Elements of the Ellipse

Foci
The foci also known as the focus point are the fixed points of the ellipse which are present on the major
axis.
Major Axis
The longest diameter of an ellipse is known as the major axis. It extends from one side of the ellipse and
passes through the center to the other side. It is the diameter of the wider region of the ellipse. In other
words, the major axis coincides with the major diameter and passes through the center point and both
foci. In figure 1.1, the major axis of the ellipse is the line segment , which has a length of 2a.
Minor Axis
.
It is the shortest diameter of the ellipse and extends from one side to the other by passing through the
center. It is the diameter of the narrowest region of the ellipse. We can also say that the minor axis is the
perpendicular bisector (a line that divides another line into two parts) of the major axis. In figure 1.1, the
minor axis of the ellipse is the line segment , which has a length of 2b.

Focal Length
The focal length of the ellipse is the line segment , which has a length of 2c.

Center
The center of the ellipse is the point of intersection of the axes. It is the center of symmetry of the
ellipse.
Vertices
The vertices of the ellipse are the points of intersection of the ellipse with the axes. They are denoted by
A, A', B, and B'.

Focal Radii
The line segments that join a point on the ellipse with both foci are refereed to as the focal radii of the
ellipse. They are denoted by PF and PF'.
Semi-Major Axis
Half of the major axis is known as the semi-major axis. The semi-major axis is the line segment that runs
from the center of the ellipse, through a focus, and to a vertex of the ellipse. Its length is a.

Semi-Minor Axis
Half of the minor axis is referred to as the semi-minor axis. The semi-minor axis is the line segment,
perpendicular to the semi-major axis, that runs from the center of the ellipse to a vertex. Its length is b.

If a = b, an ellipse is more accurately defined as a circle.

Relationship between the Semiaxes

What is Hyperbola?
A hyperbola, a type of smooth curve lying in a plane, has two pieces, called connected components or
branches, that are mirror images of each other and resemble two infinite bows. A hyperbola is a set of
points whose difference of distances from two foci is a constant value. This difference is taken from the
distance from the farther focus and then the distance from the nearer focus. For a point P(x, y) on the
hyperbola and for two foci F, F', the locus of the hyperbola is PF - PF' = 2a.

Hyperbola
A hyperbola, in analytic geometry, is a conic section that is formed when a plane intersects a double right
circular cone at an angle such that both halves of the cone are intersected. This intersection of the plane
and cone produces two separate unbounded curves that are mirror images of each other called a
hyperbola.

Parts of a Hyperbola
Let us check through a few important terms relating to the different parameters of a hyperbola.

Foci of hyperbola: The hyperbola has two foci and their coordinates are F(c, o), and F'(-c, 0).

Center of Hyperbola: The midpoint of the line joining the two foci is called the center of the hyperbola.

Major Axis: The length of the major axis of the hyperbola is 2a units.

Minor Axis: The length of the minor axis of the hyperbola is 2b units.

Vertices: The points where the hyperbola intersects the axis are called the vertices. The vertices of
the hyperbola are (a, 0), (-a, 0).

Latus Rectum of Hyperbola: The latus rectum is a line drawn perpendicular to the transverse axis of the
hyperbola and is passing through the foci of the hyperbola. The length of the latus rectum of the
hyperbola is 2b2/a.
Transverse Axis: The line passing through the two foci and the center of the hyperbola is called the
transverse axis of the hyperbola.

Conjugate Axis: The line passing through the center of the hyperbola and perpendicular to the
transverse axis is called the conjugate axis of the hyperbola.

Eccentricity of Hyperbola: (e > 1)

The eccentricity is the ratio of the distance of the focus from the center of the hyperbola, and the
distance of the vertex from the center of the hyperbola. The distance of the focus is 'c' units, and the
distance of the vertex is 'a' units, and hence the eccentricity is e = c/a.