Ellipses and hyperbolas are usually defined using two foci, but they
can also be defined using a focus and a directrix.
Definitions of conic sections: Let L be the distance to the focus
and let D be the distance to the directrix. Pick a constant e>0.
The set of all points with L=eD is
An ellipse of eccentricity e if e<1,
A parabola if e=1,
A hyperbola of eccentricity e if e>1.
For instance, suppose that we have a conic section with focus at the
origin, directrix at y=−1, and eccentricity e≠1. Then
√x2+y2=e|y+1|x2+y2=e2(y2+2y+1)x2+(1−e2)y2−2e2y=e2.
Notice that the coefficient of y2 in the last equation is positive
if e<1, giving us an ellipse, and is negative when e>1, giving us
a hyperbola. After completing the square and applying some more
algebraic manipulations, we can put the equation in standard form:
(1−e2e2)x2+((1−e2)2e2)(y−e21−e2)2=1.
If e<1, this is an vertically aligned ("tall and skinny") ellipse
with center at (0,e21−e2), with a=e1−e2,
b=e√1−e2 and c=e21−e2 and eccentricity
e=c/a. As e→1, the center and the size of the ellipse both go
to infinity.
If e>1 the situation is analogous. Our curve is then
a hyperbola of with center at (0,−e2e2−1),
with a=ee2−1,
b=e√e2−1 and c=e2e2−1 and eccentricity
e=c/a. As e→1, the center and the size of the hyperbola both go
to infinity.
The following video describes — without equations —
what happens to a conic section as the eccentricity is increased from 0 to 1,
and then beyond 1.