Final answer:
Conic sections, including circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas, are named so because they are formed by the intersection of a plane with a cone.
Step-by-step explanation:
The circle, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola are all called conic sections because they are formed by the intersection of a plane with a cone. When a plane intersects a cone at different angles, it creates different conic sections. For example, if the plane intersects the cone straight on, it forms a circle. If the plane intersects the cone at an angle, it forms an ellipse. If the plane is parallel to one side of the cone, it forms a parabola. And if the plane is at an even steeper angle, it forms a hyperbola. So, the different conic sections are named after the shape they create when a plane intersects a cone.