catenary vs hyperbola

catenary

noun
  • A cable, the segments of which between supports take a catenary geometric shape, supporting in turn an overhead conductor that provides trains, trams or trolley buses with electricity, or the combination of the conductor, the cable, and supports. 

  • The curve described by a flexible chain or a rope if it is supported at each end and is acted upon by no other forces than a uniform gravitational force due to its own weight and variations involving additional and non-uniform forces. 

  • The curve of an anchor cable from the seabed to the vessel; it should be horizontal at the anchor so as to bury the flukes. 

  • Any physical cable, rope, chain, or other weight-supporting structure taking such geometric shape, as a suspension cable for a bridge or a power-transmission line or an arch for a bridge or roof. 

adj
  • Relating to a chain; like a chain. 

  • Relating to a catena. 

hyperbola

noun
  • A conic section formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane that intersects the base of the cone and is not tangent to the cone. The function y(x) = 1/x draws a hyperbola. 

How often have the words catenary and hyperbola occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )