Degenerate
An example of a definition that stretches the
definition to an absurd degree.
A degenerate triangle is the "triangle"
formed by three collinear points. It doesnt look like a triangle,
it looks like a line segment.
A parabola may be thought of as
a degenerate ellipse with one vertex at
an infinitely distant point.
Degenerate examples
can be used to test the general applicability of formulas or
concepts. Many of the formulas developed for triangles (such
as area formulas) apply to
degenerate triangles as well.

See also
Degenerate conics
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