Winlab software
Plot conics by entering equation / foci and eccentricity / foci and length of semi-major axis / foci and one point / focus, directrix and eccentricity / five points. Plot circle by entering centre and radius. Read full information for any conic drawn. Shoot billiards on an elliptical table.

conic section animation - Przemyslaw Bogacki and Gordon Melrose
Cross-section of a plane and a double cone - as the plane is rotated, different conic sections emerge.

Circle Gallery
modelling with circles - examples developed by students

ellipse and parabola by folding paper - Ben Halperin

parabola as the locus of a point which moves so that it is equidistant from the focus and the directrix

• version 1
• version 2

EggMath - different topics related to eggs

• ellipse - locus of a point which moves so that the sum of its distances to two fixed points is constant
• equations for an ellipse
• cartesian oval - locus of a point which moves so that the sum of its distance to one fixed point and twice its distance to a second fixed point is constant
• Cassini oval - locus of a point which moves so that the product of its distances to two fixed points is constant

ellipse exercises
      Find the equation given the ellipse.
      Find the ellipse given the equation.

ellipse and hyperbola practice - Larry Green's Java Applets

orbits of planets as ellipses - Walter Fendt
Investigate the effect of the value of the eccentricity on the distance of each planet from the Sun.

hyperbola (PF' - PF = constant)
locus of point which moves so that the difference of the distances to the foci is constant

Plane Graphic Calculator - Conic Sections Gallery - J.E.Lillge
exploration of the definitions and properties of the parabola, ellipse and hyperbola

reflective property of conics

• parabola
• ellipse
• hyperbola

• parabola
• ellipse
• hyperbola
• circle

• parabola
• ellipse
• hyperbola
• circle

Occurrence of the Conics - Jill Britton
illustrated examples of conics

Conic Sections - Platonic Realms
useful summary

Dave's Math Tables
graphs and equations

An Introduction to Conic Sections - James Sellers
text with example problems, exercises and answers

Conic Sections - Xah Lee
detailed treatment with graphics and animations

Conic Sections - Geometry Facts and Formulas
lots of formulas

Moiré patterns - Hop David
When a transparent pattern is placed on top of a second pattern, the combined effect can include conic sections.

Beyond the Ellipse - Ivars Peterson
An ellipse can be drawn with a piece of string and two pins (locus of a point which moves so that the sum of its distances to two fixed points is constant). How could you extend this approach? The 16 year old Bilge Demirkoz had some ideas.

Equations with Roots 2 and 5: A Pedagogical Exploration - James Wilson
investigation of families of conic sections that intersect the x-axis at 2 and 5

The Conics - collection of links - Jill Britton

Moiré Patterns - collection of links - Jill Britton

resources page - quadratic functions

resources page - algebra