The line segment that connects two points of a conic section, that is perpendicular to the major axis of the conic section and that passes through the focus of the conic section.
- The major axis of a parabola is its axis of symmetry.
- The major axis of an ellipse is its longest axis.
- The major axis of a hyperbola is the axis that passes through the two foci of the hyperbola.
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Properties
- The length of the latus rectum of a parabola is equal to 4 times its focal length.
- The length of the latus rectum of an ellipse is equal to 2 times the square of the length of the conjugate axis divided by the length of the major axis.
- The length of the latus rectum of a hyperbola is equal to 2 times the square of the length of the major axis divided by the length of the conjugate axisé
- The length of the latus rectum of a circle is the length of its diameter.