Garg 1Rishi GargPre-Calculus, 5

PeriodMrs. Beck30 April 2008

Conic Section Applications: Hyperbola

By definition, a hyperbola is “the set of points in the plane for whichthe difference of the distances to two points is constant. Each of the twopoints is called a focus, or focal point, of the hyperbola” (Connally 543).Visually, hyperbolas look like two curved, open mouths facing oppositedirections, usually left and right. The two “mouths” can also be facing up anddown. There are many natural phenomena that involve hyperbolas. Forexample, sonic booms are created when an object exceeds the speed of sound in air. The shock wave of a sonic boom takes the shape of a cone, andwhen it intersects the ground, it takes the shape of a hyperbola. Every pointon the curve is hit at the same time, so everyone on the ground will hear thesound at the same time.Another application of hyperbolas involves radio waves. When thereare two points where radio signals are emitted, the signals form concentriccircles intersecting each other. The patterns created by the intersectingcircles of radio waves form the shapes of hyperbolas. This is the basis for theLORAN long-range navigation system. This system uses the time differencebetween the receipts of radio signals from two different stations togeographically fix the location of the receiver on the hyperbola. Becauseexact location cannot be determined simply using two sets of waves, a thirdstation is used to triangulate the exact location of the receiver. This systemwas created by Americans in response to a similar, more primitive Britishsystem used in World War II. Early LORAN systems had a range of 1200miles. Systems built during World War II were used extensively by the USNavy. It was originally known as LRN, for Loomis radio navigation, afterphysicist Alfred Loomis, who created the system. LORAN remained the mostpopular form of long-range navigation until the creation of GPS.In order for the LORAN system to fully work, a chain of three radiostations is necessary. One of these stations is designated the masterstations, and the other two are called secondary stations. Each station sendsout timed pulses at the speed of light. Each station has a unique time delayto distinguish from each others’ waves. These signals reach the LORANreceiver, which is often located on a ship or airplane. By analyzing the time

Garg 2delays between sending and receiving the pulses, the exact geographicallocation of the receiver may be determined. The LORAN system is based mostly off the fact that distance equals theproduct of velocity and time. If velocity of the radio waves remains constant,the time difference between the arrivals of the waves is directly proportionalto the distance between the transmitting station and the receiver. Here is anexample of the system:Let’s say that points M and X represent two transmitting stations. PointA represents the LORAN receiver. According to the definition of a hyperbola,the difference of distance from point A to points M and X is the same as if point A was moved along the hyperbola formed by the radio waves. Usingthis method of thought, we can find the hyperbolic line on which point A islocated. We can use an additional transmitting station to find the exactlocation. Here is some of the math needed to find the differences of thedistances, assuming that the coordinates of point A are (a,b):dAM=b2+(a+200)2dAX=b2+(a-200)2differenceAM-AX= dAM-dAXAfter we have found the difference of the distances, we can use furthermathematics to discover the equation of the hyperbola. Now, we have amuch smaller range of points on which the receiver may be located. Lastly,we need to repeat the same process with one of the original transmittingstations and another station, so that we can find the intersection of the twohyperbolas and determine the exact location of the receiver. These equations are both derived using thePythagorean Theorem.