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Pre-Cal - Conic Sections and Other Graphs Notes
Pre-Cal - Conic Sections and Other Graphs Notes
plane. It is important to note that these graphs are not necessarily functions, as some of
them have multiple x values per y value. (many to one)
Conic Sections
A conic section is a figure that can be formed when a plane intersects a right circular
cone. Four possible sections can be formed: a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, and a
hyperbola. Since the parabola has already been discussed in detail in previous notes, we
will instead focus on the other three figures.
Circles
The equation of a circle is shown below:
(x − h)2 + (y − k )2 = r2
where (h, k) is the center of the circle and r is the radius. The equation can also be
expanded to its general form:
Ax^2 + Ay^2 + Bx + Cy = r^2
where A, B, and C are coefficients and A =/ 0 . It is important that x^2 and y^2 share the
same coefficient with the same sign, or the equation could form either an ellipse or a
hyperbola instead.
Ellipse
An ellipse is a shape formed when a curve has two focal points. The sum of the distances
of these points from any other point on the curve happens to be equal every time. The
general form of an ellipse is shown below:
Ax2 + B y 2 + C x + Dy + E = 0 , where A > 0, B > 0 or A < 0, B < 0
If coefficient A < B, the ellipse will be horizontal, while if A > B, then the ellipse will appear
vertical. Interestingly, a circle is actually a form of ellipse — it is a special scenario where
both focal points happen to be located at the center, with the sum of the distances being
the radius. However, for the sake of the college entrance tests, a regular ellipse can be
differentiated from a circle through coefficients: in an ellipse, the coefficients of x2 and y 2
are of the same sign but not equal, while in a circle the coefficients are equal.
Hyperbola
A hyperbola in layman’s terms is somewhat like an ellipse turned inside out. It consists of
two curves, which do not intersect due to asymptotes and extend infinitely. There are two
possible functions for a hyperbola:
Conjugate x axis (x axis lies between the hyperbolae):
Ax2 + B y 2 + C x + Dy + E = 0 , where A > 0, B < 0
Conjugate y axis (y axis lies between the hyperbolae):
Ax2 + B y 2 + C x + Dy + E = 0 , where A < 0, B > 0
Absolute Value Functions
An absolute value function can be represented in two ways, depending on where it
opens up to.
y = a |x − h| + k for a function opening upwards or downwards (+a upwards, -a
downwards)
x = a |y − k | + h for a function opening leftwards or rightwards (+a rightwards, -a leftwards)