hyperbola

/haɪˈpʌrbələ/

Other forms: hyperbolas

Mathematically speaking, a hyperbola is an open plane curve. Like a parabola and an ellipse, a hyperbola is a kind of conic section, which is formed when a flat plane intersects a double cone.

A hyperbola is a smooth plane curve, the curved line formed when a plane (a flat surface with no thickness) cuts through a double cone's base. When a spacecraft alters its course, using the Earth's gravity to propel it out into space, its orbit forms a hyperbola. This word is easy to confuse with hyperbole, or "exaggeration," and the two actually share a Greek root, also hyperbole, "extravagance" or "a throwing beyond."

Definitions of hyperbola

1. noun

   an open curve formed by a plane that cuts the base of a right circular cone
   type of:

   conic, conic section

   (geometry) a curve generated by the intersection of a plane and a circular cone