Conic Sections - Physics Demonstrations - Conic Sections | Physics Undergraduate Labs

Purpose

Visual aid for understanding conic sections -- circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas -- as planar cuts through a cone. Connects the geometry to orbital trajectories under gravity: orbit shape depends on total energy and angular momentum.

Dissectible wooden cone model with five removable pieces showing conic section cross-sections, held together with metal alignment pins

Transparent plastic cone with colored internal cross-sections: yellow ellipse, green parabola, and pink hyperbola visible inside clear conical shell

Figure 1: Dissectible wooden cone model with removable pieces. Well-suited to passing around a smaller group for hands-on examination.

Figure 2: Transparent plastic model with colored sections. Better visibility for larger classes -- the colored slices are easy to see from the back of a lecture hall.

Dissectible Wooden Conic Sections

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Plastic Conic Sections Model

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