with lunch at its center
A pot
at the
focus.
Parallel sunlight. One curved reflector. A very small place where the rays meet.
Why a parabola?
For rays parallel to its axis, a parabolic mirror reflects light to a shared focal point. Tilt the mirror and that alignment breaks.
The geometry
y = x² / 4f
In this familiar equation, f is the focal length: the distance from the vertex to the focus.
A classroom model
This idealized diagram shows reflected ray directions. It does not predict cooking temperature. Real reflectors, sunlight and heat losses make a messier picture.