Ellipses and Parables around us [School]

A recurring job type blogs that have developed my students has been the search for and identification of the geometry in all aspects of their daily life, realizing the significance of it.

Conic curves studied in metric geometry section have a high interest in aeronautical engineering studies, and that help describe the trajectories of the bodies under the laws of gravity. Sin embargo, as clearly excel in their jobs, are not the only field of application. The short article that follows, performed by the student group calling itself “The Maze Angle” is a sample of these concerns in relation to the everyday.

by AG Angle Labyrinth

Surely you know that the ellipses and parabolas are curves are very important in physics because they fit perfectly to the mathematical representation of many phenomena.

But we also see ellipses and parabolas in our daily lives without us being aware of it. Below are some examples.

• Parable: any body thrown into the air horizontally or obliquely makes a parable under the action of gravity.

An example is a bouncing ball moving in the parabola which gets smaller due to the loss of energy wasted in each pot.

Another beautiful example of parabolic arcs are created by sources of the cities are the sources Cibeles'''', '' Neptune'' or the Paseo del Prado in Madrid.

We can also find parabolic shapes when a light beam is conically projected on a white wall so that the wall is parallel to the generatrix of the cone.

Or in a parabolic antenna (or for tracking satellites) which takes advantage of the most important properties of the parabola is any beam impinging parallel to the axis of the parabola bounces on the surface passing through the focus concentrating rays at this point. It is also the case Car Headlamp, solar cooker…

• Ellipse: is the curve describing the planets rotating around the sun, but they can also live around us but is difficult but apparently only.

Some examples are squares with ”elliptical” to be found in cities like Madrid or Bilbao but certainly the most famous and impressive is the St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

Or the church of the Monastery of Saint Bernard in Alcala de Henares (Madrid) ,known as ”The Bernardine”. A church with a single nave and dome elliptical with the same layout.

Bibliography: www.elrincóndelaciencia.com