There are four types of conic sections: parabolas, circles, hyperbolas, and ellipses. Conic sections are formed by the intersection of a plane and a cone. The parabola has a U-shaped graph and its equation is Y=X^2. Circles are defined by the equation (x-a)^2 + (y-b)^2 = r^2, where a and b are the x and y coordinates of the center and r is the radius. Hyperbolas have the form a^2/x^2 - b^2/y^2 = 1. Ellipses use the same parameters a and b as circles and hyperbolas in their equation.