Parabolas and Conic Sections


A series of free, online video lessons with examples and solutions to help Algebra students learn about about parabola conic sections.




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Related Pages
Conic Sections: Parabolas
Conic Sections: Circles
Conic Sections: Ellipses
Conic Sections: Hyperbolas

How To Sketch A Parabola?

Parabolas of the form y = a(x - h)2 + k
have a vertex at (h, k)
and opens upwards if a > 0
and opens downwards if a < 0

How To Find The Directrix And Focus Of A Parabola?

For x2 = 4py, y = -p is the directrix.
For y2 = 4py, x = -p is the directrix.

Conic Sections: Parabolas (Part 1)

A quick way to roughly sketch a parabola. Nothing about directrix and focus in this video (see part 2 for that). Find the vertex, x and y intercepts and do a quick graph.

Conic Sections: Parabolas (Part 2) - Directrix And Focus

How to go about finding the directrix and the focus for a parabola.




Conic Sections: Parabolas (Part 3) - Focus And Directrix

A slightly more involved example of finding the focus and directrix for a parabola..

Conic Sections: Parabolas (Part 4) - Focus And Directrix

Find the equation for a parabola given the vertex and given the focus and/or directrix.



Conic Sections: Parabolas (Part 5) - Focus And Directrix

Find the equation for a parabola given the vertex and given the focus and/or directrix.

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