. This is the formula of the circle.
. That is why parabola is not a special case of an ellipse.
. This form is convenient to build a parabola when focus, as well as the equation of directrix, are known.
. Consequently, the gradient of parabola is equal to 0, and the shape of parabola becomes a horizontal line.
References
Fanchi, John R. Math refresher for scientists and engineers (Third ed.). (2006): John Wiley and Sons. 44-45. Web. 20 Dec. …