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Teacher-Made Learner’s Home Task

(Equation and Important Characteristics of Different Types of Conic Sections )

Name: ____________________________________________ Duration: Two Weeks

Subject: Pre-Calculus Schedule: Week 5 & 6

MELCs:

 recognize the equation and important characteristics of the different types of conic sections
 solves situational problems involving conic sections
Objective:

 Recognize the equation and important characteristics of the different types of conic sections discuss the parts of
hyperbola
Identifying the Conic Section by Inspection
The equation of a circle may be written in standard form

Ax2  Ay2  Cx  Dy  E  0,
that is, the coefficients of x2 and y2 are the same. However, it does not follow that if the coefficients of x2 and y2 are the
same, the graph is a circle.

For a circle with equation x  h2  y  k2  r 2, we have r 2  0. This is not the case for the standard equations of
(A) and (B).

In (A), because the sum of two squares can only be 0 if and only if each square is 0, it follows that x  1/ 2  0 and y  3/2 = 0.
The graph is thus the single point 1/2 - 3/2.

In (B), no real values of x and y can make the nonnegative left side equal to the negative right side. The graph is
then the empty set.
Let us recall the general form of the equations of the other conic sections.
2 2
We may write the equations of conic sections we discussed in the general form Ax + By + Cx + Dy + E =
0.

Some terms may vanish, depending on the kind of conic section.

2 2
(1) Circle: both x and y appear, and their coefficients are the same

2 2
Ax + Ay + Cx + Dy + E = 0

2 2
Example: 18x + 18y − 24x + 48y − 5 = 0
Degenerate cases: a point, and the empty set
 (2) Parabola: exactly one of x2 or y2 appears

2
Ax + Cx + Dy + E = 0 (D ƒ= 0, opens upward or downward)
2
By + Cx + Dy + E = 0 (C ƒ= 0, opens to the right or left)
2
Examples: 3x - 12x + 2y + 26 = 0 (opens downward)
2
− 2y + 3x + 12y − 15 = 0 (opens to the right)

2 2
(3) Ellipse: both x and y appear, and their coefficients A and B have the same sign and are unequal
2 2 2 2
Examples: 2x + 5y + 8x − 10y − 7 = 0 (horizontal major axis) 4x + y − 16x − 6y + 21 = 0 (vertical major
axis)
If A = B, we will classify the conic as a circle, instead of an ellipse. Degenerate cases: a point, and the empty set (4)
Hyperbola: both x2 and y 2 appear, and their coefficients A and B have different signs Examples: 5x2 − 3y2 − 20x − 18y
− 22 = 0 (horizontal transverse axis) − 4x2 + y2 + 24x + 4y − 36 = 0 (vertical transverse axis) Degenerate case: two
intersecting lines.
Examples:
The following examples will show the possible degenerate conic (a point, two intersecting lines, or the empty set) as the
graph of an equation following a similar pattern as the non-degenerate cases.

A Note on Identifying a Conic Section by Its General Equation

It is only after transforming a given general equation to standard form that we can identify its graph either as one of the
degenerate conic sections (a point, two intersecting lines, or the empty set) or as one of the non-degenerate conic
sections (circle, parabola, ellipse, or hyperbola).
Drill 1:
Direction: Classify the graph of the equation as circle, a parabola, an ellipse, or a hyperbola. Show your proof.

Drill 2:
Direction: Mark the point at the intersection of circle 1 and line 1. Mark both points that are on line 2 and circle 2.
Continue this process, marking both points on line 3 and circle 3, and so on. Then connect the points with a smooth curve.

Drill 3:
Direction: An ellipse is the set of points such that the sum of distance from two fixed points is constant. The two fixed
points are called foci.

 Use graph paper like that shown. It contains two small circles and a series of concentric circles from each. The
concentric circles are tangent to each other as shown.
 Choose the constant 13. Mark the points at intersections of circle 9 and circle 4, because 9 + 4 = 13. Continue this
process until you have marked the intersection of all circles whose sum is 13.
 Connect the points to form a smooth curve the curve is an ellipse whose foci are the centers of the two small
circles on the graph paper.
 Circles in the figure are named by letters, circle 1 is circle c, circle 2 is circle d, and so on and so forth

Assessment:
Direction: Match the equation with each graph. The graphs are labeled a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h.