Evolution. If eggs were perfectly spherical, they would be more likely to roll out of a nest and break. Instead, because they have a tapered end, they make a circular path when they roll. The tapered shape of eggs also allows them to fit more snugly inside the nest and keep each other warm.

A Reuleaux triangle [ʁœlo] is a shape formed from the intersection of three circular disks, each having its center on the boundary of the other two. Reuleaux triangles have also been called spherical triangles, but that term more properly refers to triangles on the curved surface of a sphere.

Eggs are neither circular nor elliptical. Eggs are oval. If you observe an egg closely, the distance from the center is not a fixed circle. The horizontal aspect has a longer ellipse-like form.

When liquid is rotated, the forces of gravity result in the liquid forming a parabola-like shape. The most common example is when you stir up orange juice in a glass by rotating it round its axis. The juice level rises round the edges while falling slightly in the center of the glass (the axis).

Why is the parabola considered such a strong shape? The parabola is considered such a strong shape because of its natural oval shape. Both ends are mounted in a fixed bearing while the arch has a uniformly distributed load. When an arch carries only its own weight, the best shape is a catenary.

When an arch carries a uniformly distributed vertical load, the correct shape is a parabola. When an arch carries only its own weight, the best shape is a catenary.

There is an easy way to tell whether the graph of a quadratic function opens upward or downward: if the leading coefficient is greater than zero, the parabola opens upward, and if the leading coefficient is less than zero, the parabola opens downward. Study the graphs below: Figure %: On the left, y = x2.

Let’s look at a few key points about these patterns:

1. If the x is squared, the parabola is vertical (opens up or down). If the y is squared, it is horizontal (opens left or right).
2. If a is positive, the parabola opens up or to the right. If it is negative, it opens down or to the left.
3. The vertex is at (h, k).

The y-intercept of the equation is c. When you want to graph a quadratic function you begin by making a table of values for some values of your function and then plot those values in a coordinate plane and draw a smooth curve through the points.