DEFINITION OF

AN ELLIPSE
for Pre Calculus
Senior High School (STEM)
Quarter 1 / Week 3.a

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 FOREWORD

This Self-Learning Kit (SLK) will serve as a guide in studying

the subject Area Pre-Calculus. Guided by the Most Essential
Learning Competencies (MELC), it will be used as an aid in
learning the concepts of conic sections and systems of
nonlinear equation.
Moreover, it gives focus on the knowledge,
understanding, skills , and attitudes that need to be
demonstrated in this lesson.
What happened (Let’s Do It)
This section contains pre-activities like review of the prior
knowledge about properties of segments (including
definition, midpoint, and perpendicular segments) and
circles (including definition, radius and center).
What I Need to Know (Discussion)
This section contains definition of an ellipse and its
characteristic, derivation of the standard form of equation
and examples of a real-life or situational problems wherein
students will apply their mathematical concepts learned.
What I have Learned (Evaluation/Post-Test)
The exercises contained in this section enhanced student’s
comprehension and mathematical skills. These serve as a
diagnostic tool to identify student’s weaknesses and
strengths.
 OBJECTIVES:
K. Define an ellipse and other terms related to it
S. Describe an ellipse
A. Appreciate the application of the Mathematical concept
on ellipse to the real-life problems.

LEARNING COMPETENCY:

Define an ellipse (STEM_PC11AG-1c-1)

I. What Happened

PRE-ACTIVITY:
Prepare the following materials:
• Piece of string tied in a loop
• Two thumbtacks
• Corkboard (or any plain surface to pin your paper)
• Paper
• Pencil
Tasks to do for the activity are as follows:

Take the string, the two thumbtacks, the cardboard, paper and pencil. The paper
is placed on the corkboard and the thumbtacks are stuck into it. The string is then
tied to each thumbtack, making sure that the string has some slack in it. Each
thumbtack will serve as the focal points of the ellipse. The loose string is then pulled
taut with the pencil, with the string lying near the tip of the pencil. With the string
taut, the pencil is swung around the focal points letting the tip of the pencil trace
its path. The pencil is then repositioned to draw the remainder of the curve.

Questions to observe:
• What symmetries are observed in the ellipse? Draw a picture to illustrate
any lines of symmetry.
• Move the thumbtacks farther apart. Redraw the ellipse and compare the
shape to original ellipse.

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 • Move the thumbtacks closer together. Redraw the ellipse and compare
the shape to your original ellipse
• If you move the thumbtacks far apart and make the string taut, what shape
will your pencil draw?
• If you attach both ends of the string to one thumbtack, what shape will your
pencil draw?

(This task builds upon your previous exposure to and experience with constructing
circles. Whereas the circle has one focal point called the center, the ellipse has
two “centers” or focal points appropriately called foci. This is the basis for the
extension of the concept of circles into understanding of ellipses).

II. What You Need to Know

Introduction
An ellipse is one of the conic sections that most students have not
encountered formally before, unlike circles and parabolas. Its shape is a bounded
curve which looks like a flattened circle. The orbits of the planets in our solar
system around the sun happen to be elliptical in shape. Also, just like parabolas,
ellipses have reflective properties that have been used in the construction of
certain structures (shown in some of the practice problems).

DEFINITION OF AN ELLIPSE:

An ellipse is a locus of all points (x,y)

such that the sum of the distances from P to
two fixed points, F1 and F2, called the foci, is a
constant.

DISCUSSION
Consider the points F1(-3, 0) and F2(3, 0), as shown in Figure 1. What is the
sum of the distances of A(4, 2.4) from F1 and from F2? How about the sum of the
distances of B and C(0,-4) from F1 and from F2?
(Jerico, Richard, Glenn Rey, Flordeliza, Mark Anthony 2016, 36-37)

AF1 + AF2 = 7.4 + 2.6 = 10

BF1 + BF2 = 3.8+6.2 = 10
CF1 + CF2 = 5 + 5 = 10
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There are other points P such that PF1 + PF2 = 10. The collection of all such points
forms a shape called an ellipse.

Let F1 and F2 be two distinct points. The set of all points P, whose distances
from F1 and from F2 add up to a certain constant, is called an ellipse. The points
F1 and F2 are called the foci of the ellipse.

III. What Have I Learned

An ellipse is the set of all points (x,y) in a plane, the sum of whose distances
from two distinct fixed points, called foci, is constant.

Circle is in fact and ellipse, where both foci are at the same point (the
center). In other words, a circle is a “special case” of an ellipse. Ellipses Rule.

The line through the foci intersects the ellipse at two points called vertices.
The chord joining the vertices is the major axis, and its midpoint is the center of the
ellipse. The chord perpendicular to the major axis at the center is the minor axis of
the ellipse.

The Major Axis is the longest diameter. It goes from one side of the ellipse,
through the center, to the other side, at the widest part of the ellipse and the
Minor Axis is the shortest diameter (at the narrowest part of the ellipse).

The figure below illustrates of the complete concepts mentioned.

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POST TEST:
FACT or BLUFF!
Write “FACT” if the statement is true, and “BLUFF”if the statement is false.

1. An ellipse is a plane curve sorrounding one focal point.

2. A circle is an ellipse.
3. The difference of the of each point in an ellipse from its fixed points, the
foci, are constant.
4. Each focus is c units away from the vertex.
5. The vertices are points on the ellipse, collinear with the center and foci.
6. The center is the origin (0,0).
7. The chord joining the vertices is called minor axis.
8. The minor axis W1W2 is 2b units long. Since a>b, the minor axis is longer than
the major axis.
9. The segment through the center, perpendicular to the major axis, is the
minor axis.
10. Every ellipse has two axes of symmetry.

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 REFERENCES

Lim, Y., Nocon, R., Nocon, E., and Ruivivar L. 2016. Math for Engaged Learning,
Pre-Calculus. Sibs,2016.
Bacani, J., Eden, R., Estrada, G., Francisco, F., and Vidallo, M. 2016.
Teaching Guide for Senior High School Pre-Calculus Core Subjects, DepEd-
Commission on Higher Education.

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 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

FAY C. LUAREZ, TM, Ed.D., Ph.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Acting CID Chief

ADOLF P. AGUILAR
OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

NILITA L. RAGAY, Ed.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

ROSELA R. ABIERA
Education Program Supervisor – (LRMS)

ARNOLD R. JUNGCO
Education Program Supervisor – (SCIENCE & MATH)

MARICEL S. RASID
Librarian II (LRMDS)

ELMAR L. CABRERA
PDO II (LRMDS)

HAZEL MENDOZA
Writer

LITTIE BETH S. BERNADEZ

Lay-out Artist
_________________________________

ALPHA QA TEAM
LITTIE BETH S. BERNADEZ
MERCYDITHA D. ENOLPE
RONALD TOLENTINO
DIDITH T. YAP

BETA QA TEAM
ELIZABETH A. ALAP-AP
EPIFANIA Q. CUEVAS
NIDA BARBARA S. SUASIN
VRENDIE P. SYGACO
MELBA S. TUMARONG
HANNAHLY I. UMALI

DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide accessible
learning modality to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The contents of this module are
carefully researched, chosen, and evaluated to comply with the set learning competencies. The writers and
evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to information and illustrations used to substantiate this material.
All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent from
the division.

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 SYNOPSIS AND ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANSWER KEY
This Self Learning Kit (SLK) provides 10. FACT 5. FACT

students the necessary information or 9. FACT 4. BLUFF

concept about an ellipse, its definition 8. BLUFF 3. BLUFF

and characteristics. 7. BLUFF 2. FACT

Students are expected to apply the

1. BLUFF 6. FACT

concepts of ellipse to solve real-life or

POST TEST

situational problems.
Let’s explore, enjoy, and discover
the beauty of Mathematics while being
thumbtack.
the sttring I attached to one
circle is formed when both ends of
symmetry formed by inor axis. A
It may be more difficult to see the

to understand and apply the concepts

symmetry formed by the major axis.
Students will probably see the
of parabola. PRE-ACTIVITY

The Author: HAZEL MENDOZA, graduated Master of Arts in

Curriculum Design, Development and Supervision major in
Mathematics at St. Paul University-Manila, 2017. Also a
Bachelor Degree of Secondary Education major in
Mathematics at La Consolacion College-Bais, 2014.
Currently teaching at Manjuyod Science High School,
Manjuyod, Negros Oriental.