Hyperbola, << hy PUR buh luh, >> is a curve with two branches formed by a plane that cuts through two right circular cones that are joined at their tips. Circles, ellipses, hyperbolas, and parabolas all lie on a cone-shaped surface and so are called conic sections.
The equation y = 1/x, when graphed, shows a hyperbola. As x increases, the curve flattens out and approaches a straight line called an asymptote. The two points at which the axis of a hyperbola’s plane intersects the two branches are called the vertices. The transverse axis connects the vertices. The conjugate axis bisects the transverse axis and is perpendicular to it.
