Home▸Electromagnetism▸Parabolic Reflector Antenna (2D Cross-Section)

Parabolic Reflector Antenna (2D Cross-Section)

Interactive 2D cross-section of a parabolic dish antenna: watch parallel incoming rays reflect off the y=x²/(4f) parabola and converge at the focal point, tune dish diameter, focal length and off-axis signal angle, and read live focus offset and gain estimates.

Electromagnetism2DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D simulator draws the cross-section of a parabolic satellite dish following the true geometry y = x²/(4f): parallel rays representing an incoming signal strike the curved reflector and are traced as they bounce toward the focal point. Adjust the dish diameter and focal length to reshape the parabola, and tilt the incoming signal's off-axis angle to see the rays drift away from a single sharp focus into a smeared spot — with live readouts for the focal point's coordinates, the spread of the converged rays, a convergence-quality percentage and a relative gain estimate in decibels.

⚙ Under the hood

Interactive 2D cross-section of a parabolic dish antenna: parallel incoming rays reflect off the y=x²/(4f) parabola and converge at the focal point, with adjustable dish diameter, focal length and off-axis signal angle.

Parabolic ReflectorAntenna DesignSignal CollectionOptics

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install