Pedal Curves of Conics

ellipse

The pedal curve

C

P

of a curve

C

with respect to a point

P

(the pedal point) is the locus of the foot of the perpendicular from

P

to the tangent line of the curve

C

.

Drag the locator (red pedal point) to change the pedal curve of a given conic.

Choose an item from the popup menu to change the type of conic and drag the slider to change its shape.