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Extra Practice 3
Extra Practice 3
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Drawing Ellipses
The Background
The study of conic sections, curves formed by the intersection of a plane with a cone,
began about 200 B.C. by Apollonius of Perga, the last of the great mathematicians of the Golden
Age of Greek mathematics. In his eight-volume treatise called Conics, he gave names to the
various curves (parabola, hyperbola, and ellipse) and developed most of the geometric properties
of the curves. But conics remained pure mathematics for almost 2000 years until 1609 when
Johannes Kepler revolutionized astronomy by declaring that the planets revolved around the sun
in elliptic paths with the sun as a focus. As an ellipse is a circle stretched horizontally and/or
vertically, ellipses share some similar formulas with circles. For example, the area of a circle is
! " r " r while the area of an ellipse is ! " a " b . However, while the circumference of a circle is
2 ! " ! r = " (r + r) , the circumference of an ellipse is not ! (a + b) and cannot even be expressed
in a closed form. I find it amazing that both a cone and a cylinder cut diagonally by a plane
produce an ellipse, and that if you wrap a strip of paper around a cylinder, slice the cylinder
diagonally, and then unwrap the paper, the edge of the paper formed by the circumference of the
ellipse is a sine wave! There is much to explore in this old topic of mathematics!
Definitions for an ellipse:
1. The curve formed when a plane intersects a right circular cone
at an angle to its axis of symmetry less than 90 but greater than the slant
angle of the cone.
2. The set of all points in a plane the sum of whose distances from
two given points (called the foci) is always constant.
3. The set of all points whose ratio of its distance from a fixed
point (called the focus) to its distance from a fixed line (called the
directrix) is constant and between 0 and 1.
4. The graph formed by the general second-degree equation
Ax + Bxy + Cy2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0 where 4AC ! B 2 > 0 .
2
5. The curve formed when a cylinder is intersected by a plane not parallel to the axis of
symmetry of the cylinder.
Other vocabulary:
A segment connecting two points of an ellipse is called a chord. A chord through the
center of an ellipse is called a diameter. The longest diameter of an ellipse is called the major
axis. The foci will always be on the major axis. The shortest diameter of an ellipse is called the
minor axis. It will always be perpendicular to the major axis. The focal length is the distance
between the two foci. The eccentricity of an ellipse, a number between 0 and 1, refers to the
roundness of the ellipse. The closer the eccentricity is to 0, the closer the ellipse is to a circle.
x 2 y2
+ = 1 . The length of the major axis is 2a and the length of the
a2 b2
c
a
. If the
3. Parametric equations: #
4. Polar equation: r =
ep
1 ! e cos "
with directrix x = p or r =
ep
1 ! e sin "
with directrix
y = p . One focus is at the pole and 0 < e < 1 is the eccentricity of the ellipse.
Through various algebraic techniques these equations can be shown to be equivalent.
The problems in this contest deal with methods that are used by artists, engineers, draftsmen,
astronomers, and mathematicians for drawing ellipses. In several problems you are given the
method of construction and must prove that the curve formed is an ellipse. This can be done by
showing that points on the curve satisfy one of the above equations or that the curve has one of
the properties that defines an ellipse. Most of the problems are independent of one another and
therefore can be solved in any order.
2. An ellipse can made by drawing a large circle on a piece of wax paper and marking a point F
somewhere inside the circle but not at the center. Fold the paper so that some point P on the
circle coincides with F and crease the paper on this fold. Unfold the paper and repeat the process
using another point P on the circle. Continue repeating the process.
a) Using the diagram at the right, prove
that the points Q determined by this
technique trace out an ellipse.
P1
Q1
l1
O
b) If circle O, centered at the origin, has a
radius of 10 units and F is 8 units from the
center, determine an equation for the
ellipse formed by this technique.
C1
P
C2
4. The Dutch mathematician Franz Van Schooten came up with the following simple device for
drawing ellipses. Points A and B are stationary, with AB > 4 ! CD . CD = DE and points C and
D are hinges with C anchored at the midpoint between A and B and D is free to move as point E
slides in the groove between A and B. At point P is a pen which traces out a curve as E moves
from A to B.
a) Let CD = a and DP = b. If C is the origin and if this curve is an ellipse, what would
be its equation?
b) Let P = (x, y) and E = (t, 0) . Prove P(x, y) satisfies the equation above for any value
of t in the interval [-2a, 2a].
D
## r ! R& &
#r &
y = (R ! r)cos % " ( + d cos % %
" . (For a nice derivation of these formulas see
$R '
$ $ R (' ('
html:/the-robinson-family.org/Nigel/spiro.htm.) The figure below shows four trochoids and the
ratio r:R that produced them.
If R =2r, prove the trochoid is an ellipse.
P3
D3
P2
D2
P1 D1
A2
A3
A1
Construction with
n=4
7. Take any triangle XYZ and position it on a coordinate axes so that X is on the x-axis and Y is
on the y-axis. Mark the location of point Z. Reposition the triangle so that again X is on the xaxis and Y is on the y-axis and plot point Z. Repeat several times. The locus of all such points Z
will be an ellipse, whose axes are not parallel with the coordinate axes.
a) If XYZ is an equilateral triangle with sides of length 2, what is the equation of the
ellipse formed? (Hint: Determine the exact coordinates of some points on the ellipse and
determine the general equation.)
b) If XYZ is a 30-60-90 triangle with angle Z = 30 and hypotenuse XZ of length 2, what
is the equation of the ellipse formed?
6
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
Type set using MathType 5.0, donated by Design Science, an ARML supporter.
L ! F1F2 = F1P + F2 P
constant = F1P + F2 P
Therefore, P is on an ellipse.
1b.
L = F1P + F2 P + F1F2
= 2a + 2c
= 12 + 2c
a2 ! b2 = c2
F1F2 = 2c = 4 5 ! 8.94
36 ! 16 = c
L = 12 + 4 5 ! 20.94
2 5=c
2a. For any point P1 on the circle, P1 is folded onto F forming l1 , the perpendicular bisector of
segment FP1 . Therefore, Q1F = Q1P . Since OP1 is the radius of the circle and
OP1 = OQ1 + Q1P1 , OQ1 + Q1P1 is constant and therefore, OQ1 + Q1F1 is constant. Therefore, Q is
a point on an ellipse with foci at O and F1 .
b. 2a = 10 and 2c = 8 . Therefore, a = 5 and c = 4 and since a 2 ! b 2 = c 2 , b = 3. Assume F is
(8,0), then the center is at (4,0). Therefore, the equation of the ellipse
2
x ! 4)
y2
(
+
= 1.
is
25
9
x
x2
y
y2
" cos 2 (! ) = 2 and sin(! ) = " sin 2 (! ) = 2 .
a
a
b
b
2
2
x
y
Adding these two equations produces 1 = 2 + 2 .
a
b
3a. cos(! ) =
3b. The area of the ellipse = ab! and the area of the annulus = a 2! " b 2! . Therefore,
ab = a 2 ! b 2
ab a 2 b 2
=
!
b2 b2 b2
a a2
=
!1
b b2
2
" a% " a%
0 = $ ' ! $ ' !1
# b& # b&
a 1+ 5
=
, the Golden Ratio!
b
2
D
4b. From similar right triangles,
b
a!b
2ax
=
"t =
and from the Pythagorean
t
t
!
x
a
+
b
x!
2
2
2
Theorem, ( t ! x ) + y 2 = ( a ! b ) . Substituting, results
x ! 2t
P=(x,y)
a
y
a-b
t-x
x
C
" 2ax
%
2
! x ' + y 2 = ( a ! b ) . And so
in $
#a+b
&
" 2ax x(a + b) %
" x(a ! b) %
2
2
2
2
!
$#
'& + y = ( a ! b ) ( $#
'& + y = ( a ! b ) ( . Resulting in
a+b
a+b
a+b
2
2
2
x (a ! b)
x
y2
2
2
+ y = (a ! b) "
+
= 1.
( a + b )2
( a + b )2 (a ! b)2
2
"!%
" (! %
"!%
" (! %
5. If R = 2r then x = r sin $ ' + d sin $ ' and y = r cos $ ' + d cos $ ' . This simplifies to
# 2&
# 2 &
# 2&
# 2 &
#"&
"!%
#"&
2
x = ( r ! d ) sin % ( and y = ( r + d ) cos $ ' . Squaring, results in x 2 = ( r ! d ) sin 2 % (
$ 2'
# 2&
$ 2'
x2
"!%
2
2 #"&
and y 2 = ( r + d ) cos 2 $ ' , and dividing, produces
and
2 = sin % (
# 2&
$ 2'
(r ! d )
x2
y2
"!%
= cos $ ' . Summing, results in
+
= 1.
# 2&
( r + d )2
( r ! d )2 ( r + d )2
6. First, find the coordinates of Ak and Dk .
y2
k%
""
%
! ! k$ $
Ak = $ $ 1 ! ' a, 0 ' and Dk = # a, # & b & .
##
&
" " n% %
n&
!###"
!###"
Second, find the equations of CAk and BDk .
!###"
!###"
CAk : nbx + (k ! n)ay = ab(n ! k) and BDk : ( n ! k ) bx + any = abn .
Square each: n 2b 2 x 2 + 2nbx(k ! n)ay + (k ! n)2 a 2 y 2 = a 2b 2 (n ! k)2 and
( n ! k )2 b 2 x 2 + 2(n ! k)bxany + a 2 n 2 y 2 = a 2b 2 n 2 .
2
Add them, producing: ( n 2 + ( n ! k ) ) b 2 x 2 + ( n 2 + (k ! n)2 ) a 2 y 2 = a 2b 2 ( (n ! k)2 + n 2 ) .
x 2 y2
+ 2 = 1 (N.B. (n ! k)2 = (k ! n)2 .)
2
a
b
10
Z = 1, 3
)
Z=
Z = 2, 3
3,1
( )
( )
( )
! 1 + B 3 + C(3) + F = 0 %
#
#
#
#
Solving this system of equations, " 3 + B 3 + C(1) + F = 0 & , results in
#
#
#$ 4 + B 2 3 + C(3) + F = 0 #'
x 2 ! 3xy + y 2 ! 1 = 0 as the equation of the ellipse.
7b. As in solution 7a, three points are needed to satisfy the equation x 2 + Bxy + Cy 2 + F = 0 .
Positioning !XYZ as in the diagrams produces these three points:
Z= 0, 3
)
Y
Z=
3,1
Y
X
Z= (1.5, 0)
! 0 + B ( 0 ) + C(3) + F = 0 %
#
#
Solving this system of equations, " 3 + B 3 + C(1) + F = 0 & , results in
#9
#
$ 4 + B ( 0 ) + C(0) + F = 0 '
3
3
9
x2 !
xy + y 2 ! = 0 or 4x 2 ! 2 3xy + 3y 2 ! 9 = 0 as the equation of the ellipse.
2
4
4
8a. (Drawing follows solution to problem #9.)
( )
8b. The length of the major axis is 6 + 1.2 = 7.2 and so b = 3.6, the center is (0, 2.4), and c = 2.4.
Since a 2 = b 2 ! c 2 , a 2 = 7.2. Therefore, the equation of the ellipse
2
x 2 ( y ! 2.4 )
+
= 1.
is
7.2
12.96
11
a
b
ax
. Substituting,
=
"t =
t x!t
a+b
ax %
"
2
2
$# x !
'& + y = b
a+b
P=(x,y)
" bx %
!$
+ y2 = b2
'
# a + b&
!
!
b2 x 2
(a + b)
x2
( a + b )2
b
O=(0,0)
+ y2 = b2
x-t
Q=(t,0)
y2
+ 2 =1
b
8a.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
12