Meaning & use
parabola
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Meanings
nouncountablemathematics
A smooth, symmetrical curve shaped like a U, made by every point being equally far from a fixed point and a straight line.
Grammar: Countable: the graph of the equation is a parabola.
Patterns
- the graph of something is a parabola
The graph of y = x squared is a parabola.
She drew a parabola on the board and marked its highest point.
A parabola opens upward when the leading coefficient is positive.
nouncountablephysics
The curved path followed by an object thrown into the air under gravity.
Grammar: Often used with trace or follow: the ball traces a parabola.
Patterns
- trace a parabola
The thrown ball followed a parabola before landing.
Water from the fountain arcs in a graceful parabola.
The cannonball traced a parabola over the wall.
Word forms
| plural | parabolas |
|---|---|
| plural (also) | parabolae |
Common combinations
- graph a parabola
- Students learn to graph a parabola from its equation.
- the vertex of a parabola
- The vertex of a parabola is its lowest or highest point.
- the axis of a parabola
- The axis of a parabola is the line that splits it into mirror halves.
- a parabola opens upward
- A parabola opens upward when its coefficient is positive.
- trace a parabola
- The ball traces a parabola in the air.
Synonyms and how they differ
- arc
- Arc is a general curved line and is not necessarily symmetrical or mathematical.
- curve
- Curve is the broad term, whereas a parabola has a very specific shape and equation.
- trajectory
- Trajectory means the whole path of a moving object, which often happens to be a parabola.
Word family
- parabolic adjective
- shaped like or relating to a parabola
- parabolically adverb
- in the shape of a parabola
- paraboloid noun
- a three-dimensional surface made by rotating a parabola
Commonly confused: parabola or parable? parabola or hyperbola?
parabola vs parable
A parable is a short story that teaches a lesson, not a curve in mathematics.
parabola vs hyperbola
A hyperbola is a curve with two separate open branches, while a parabola has just one.
Practice
Which shape best describes the graph of a quadratic equation?
Choose one answer.
A quadratic equation graphs as a parabola. A hyperbola has two branches, a parable is a story, and a straight line belongs to a linear equation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “parabola”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.