Question

In your own words, define a parabola.

Short answer

A parabola is an open plane curve in which all points in a plane are equal to the distance from a fixed point (focus) and a fixed-line (directrix) of the parabola.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Define parabola.

A parabola is an open plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the cone so that all points in a plane are equal to the distance from a fixed point and a fixed line, where fixed point is defined as the focus and the fixed line is defined as the directrix of the parabola.

Step 2. Explain the graph of parabola.

Consder the graph of parabola that opens upwards.

The graph is shown below: