Conic constant
Okay kiddo, imagine a big thick book that's cut in half diagonally. You get two pieces that are like pizza slices. Now, if you look at the flat edge of one of those slices, it's curved, right? That curved edge is called a conic section.
But here's the thing – not all conic sections are the same. Some are more round and some are more pointy. So, scientists came up with a way to describe how pointy or round a conic section is. They called it the "conic constant."
The conic constant is a number that tells us how tall or how flat a conic section is. We use it to help us understand and describe different shapes like ellipses, parabolas, or hyperbolas. It might sound a little complicated, but it's really just a way for us to talk about shapes in a more organized way!
But here's the thing – not all conic sections are the same. Some are more round and some are more pointy. So, scientists came up with a way to describe how pointy or round a conic section is. They called it the "conic constant."
The conic constant is a number that tells us how tall or how flat a conic section is. We use it to help us understand and describe different shapes like ellipses, parabolas, or hyperbolas. It might sound a little complicated, but it's really just a way for us to talk about shapes in a more organized way!