Definition:Cone
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Definition
A cone is a three-dimensional geometric figure which consists of the set of all straight lines joining the perimeter of a plane figure $ABC$ to a point $P$ not in the plane of the figure:
Base
The plane figure $ABC$ is called the base of the cone.
Apex
The point $P$ is known as the apex of the cone.
Height
Let a perpendicular $AE$ be dropped from the apex of a cone to the plane containing its base.
The length $h$ of the line $AC$ is the height of the cone.
Right Circular Cone
When a cone is under discussion, it usually means a right circular cone.
A right circular cone is a cone:
- whose base is a circle
- A line perpendicular to the base through its center passes through the apex of the cone:
As Euclid defined it:
- When, one side of those about the right angle in a right-angled triangle remaining fixed, the triangle is carried round and restored again to the same position from which it began to be moved, the figure so comprehended is a cone.
And, if the straight line which remains fixed be equal to the remaining side about the right angle which is carried round, the cone will be right-angled; if less, obtuse-angled; and if greater, acute-angled.
(The Elements: Book XI: Definition $18$)
Axis
The perpendicular through the center of the base through the apex is called the axis of the cone.
Double Napped Cone
A double napped cone is one where the lines joining the apex to the perimeter of the base extend indefinitely in either dimension:
Comment
Hence the colloquial phrase "base over apex" as the description of a particularly flamboyant personal tumble.
