A parabola is a curve with any of its point at an equal distance from directrix and the focus ( Kim, Kim & Park, 2015). The curve is formed by “a set of all the points (P) in a plane equidistant from a fixed point F (focus) and a fixed line D (directrix)” (Chekalin, Reshetnikov, Shpilev & Borodulina, 2017). Whereas the directrix is a fixed straight line on the outside of the curve, focus, on the other hand, is a point inside the parabola where all the reflected rays would converge. A parabola’s axis of symmetry always cuts through the “focus” which is perpendicular to the directrix. The sharpest point of a parabola is referred to as the “vertex” and it separates both the directrix and the parabola into two equal parts. Baleanu et al (2017) simply regard a parabola as a conic section, obtained when a cone is sliced.
Real Life Application of Parabolas
Satellite dishes, suspension bridges, the path that objects take when released in air, fountains and spotlights are good examples of my real life experiences with parabolas. However, this paper focuses on fountains and spotlight as perfect demonstrations of the significance of parabolas in real life.
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The Use of Parabolic Reflectors
I never miss to carry a spotlight in my backpack just in case I might need it when trying to find something in the hidden corners. A spotlight is a good example of a parabola commonly used to focus light. A spot light has its source of light; which is the bulb, located at its point of focus. The light is then reflected by the shiny parabolic material in a path parallel to the axis to produce a concentrated beam of light. Parabolas are distinct from flat reflectors that scatter the reflected light too much to be used a source of light. They are also better than spherical reflectors which despite having an increased brightness compared to the flat reflectors cannot produce beams that are as powerful as those produced by the parabolic reflectors. The application of parabolic reflectors extends beyond the construction of simple spotlights to include the construction of lighthouse reflectors that produces powerful beams of light for patrolling the sea.
Fountains and Farm Irrigators
The fountain at the front of the house is not only the center peace of our home but also the most common point of attraction for most visitors that visit us. It is amazing to see water that is forced up in the air falling back in a parabolic trajectory and forming a very beautiful scenery. Similar principle is applied in the farm for the irrigation of plants in the gardens. The irrigation machines throw water up at an angle depending on the distance it is meant to cover. The water then covers a parabolic trajectory and falls on the plants with a reduced gravity. As a result, the water falls on the plants with a decreased gravity-related force and velocity. The water falls gently on the plants in the farm eliminating damages that might result from free fall.
Generally speaking, parabolas are applied almost in every aspect of daily living. Whereas most of the parabolic structures are manmade, a good number of parabolic instances occur naturally. For instance, water forced up in to the air falls down taking a parabolic path and forming a beautiful fountain. Similarly, when a source of light is put at the point of focus of a parabolic reflector it travels back parallel to the line of axis; consequently, concentrating the reflected light enabling us to see in the dark.
References
Baleanu, D., Asad, J. H., Alipour, M., & Blaszczyk, T. (2017). Motion of a spherical particle in a rotating parabola using fractional Lagrangian.
Chekalin, A. A., Reshetnikov, M. K., Shpilev, V. V., & Borodulina, S. V. (2017, July). Design of Engineering Surfaces Using Quartic Parabolas. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 221, No. 1, p. 012015). IOP Publishing.
Kim, D. S., Kim, Y. H., & Park, S. (2015). Center of gravity and a characterization of parabolas. arXiv preprint arXiv:1502.00188 .
