hyperbola

[ hahy-pur-buh-luh ]
See synonyms for hyperbola on Thesaurus.com
nounGeometry.
  1. the set of points in a plane whose distances to two fixed points in the plane have a constant difference; a curve consisting of two distinct and similar branches, formed by the intersection of a plane with a right circular cone when the plane makes a greater angle with the base than does the generator of the cone. Equation:x2/a2y2/b2 = ±1.

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Origin of hyperbola

1
1660–70; <New Latin <Greek hyperbolḗ the geometrical term, literally, excess. See hyperbole

Words Nearby hyperbola

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for hyperbola

hyperbola

/ (haɪˈpɜːbələ) /


nounplural -las or -le (-ˌliː)
  1. a conic section formed by a plane that cuts both bases of a cone; it consists of two branches asymptotic to two intersecting fixed lines and has two foci. Standard equation: x ²/ a ² – y ²/ b ² = 1 where 2 a is the distance between the two intersections with the x -axis and b = a √(e ² – 1), where e is the eccentricity

Origin of hyperbola

1
C17: from Greek huperbolē, literally: excess, extravagance, from hyper- + ballein to throw

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hyperbola

hyperbola

[ hī-pûrbə-lə ]


Plural hyperbolas hyperbolae (hī-pûrbə-lē)
  1. A plane curve having two separate parts or branches, formed when two cones that point toward one another are intersected by a plane that is parallel to the axes of the cones.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for hyperbola

hyperbola

[ (heye-pur-buh-luh) ]


In geometry, a curve having a single bend, with lines going infinitely far from the bend.

Notes for hyperbola

The path of a comet that enters the solar system and then leaves forever is a hyperbolic curve (half of a hyperbola).

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.