Editing Parabolic coordinates (section)

[[Image:Parabolic coords.svg|thumb|right|384px|In green, confocal parabolae opening upwards, <math>2y = \frac {x^2}{\sigma^2}-\sigma^2</math> In red, confocal parabolae opening downwards, <math>2y =-\frac{x^2}{\tau^2}+\tau^2</math>]]
'''Parabolic coordinates''' are a two-dimensional [[orthogonal coordinates|orthogonal]] [[coordinate system]] in which the [[Coordinate system#Coordinate line|coordinate lines]] are [[confocal]] [[parabola]]s. [[Parabolic cylindrical coordinates|A three-dimensional version]] of parabolic coordinates is obtained by rotating the two-dimensional [[coordinate system|system]] about the symmetry axis of the parabolas.  

Parabolic coordinates have found many applications, e.g., the treatment of the [[Stark effect]] and the [[potential theory]] of the edges.