hyperboloid

[ hahy-pur-buh-loid ]

noun

, Mathematics.

1. a quadric surface having a finite center and some of its plane sections hyperbolas. Equation: x 2 / a 2 + y 2 / b 2 − z 2 / c 2 = 1.

hyperboloid

/ haɪˈpɜːbəˌlɔɪd /

noun

1. a geometric surface consisting of one sheet, or of two sheets separated by a finite distance, whose sections parallel to the three coordinate planes are hyperbolas or ellipses. Equations x ²/ a ² + y ²/ b ² – z ²/ c ² = 1 (one sheet) or x ²/ a ² – y ²/ b ² – z ²/ c ² = 1 (two sheets) where a, b, and c are constants

hyperboloid

/ hī-pûr′bə-loid′ /

1. Either of two surfaces generated by rotating a hyperbola about either of its main axes and having a finite center, with certain plane sections that are hyperbolas and others that are ellipses or circles.

Other Words From

• hy·perbo·loidal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperboloid¹

First recorded in 1720–30; hyperbol(a) + -oid

Example Sentences

At the top it is gathered into a dome in the form of a hyperboloid, pierced near the vertex with an aperture 12 feet in diameter.

From Project Gutenberg

In the first case the surface is called an Hyperboloid of one sheet, in the second an Hyperbolic Paraboloid.

From Project Gutenberg