Parabola

a plane curve traced out by a point moving so that its distance from a fixed point (focus) is equal to its perpendicular distance from a fixed straight line (directrix). It is also the curve made by cutting a cone with a flat plane that is parallel to the side of the cone that slopes. Mirrors with a parabolic shape are used in searchlights and telescopes because incoming parallel rays of light are reflectd onto the focus. This property is used in a telescope, and thus the reverse applies in searchlights.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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In mathematics, the parabola (pronounced /pəˈræbələ/, from the Greek παραβολή) is a conic section, the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface. Given a point (the focus) and a corresponding line (the directrix) on the plane, the locus of points in that plane that are equidistant from them is a parabola.

The parabola has many important applications, from automobile headlight reflectors to the design of ballistic missiles. They are frequently used in physics, engineering, and many other areas.

Taken from Wikipedia