noun
- a straight line that continually approaches a given curve but does not meet it at any finite distance
Usage: mathematics
Examples
- The graph of the function approaches the asymptote but never touches it.
- As x increases, the curve gets closer and closer to its horizontal asymptote.
- The vertical asymptote occurs where the denominator equals zero.
- Students learned to identify asymptotes when graphing rational functions.
- The hyperbola has two asymptotes that intersect at the center.
- Finding the asymptote helps determine the behavior of the function at infinity.