Department of Education

National Capital Region

Schools Division of Parañaque City
Self-Learning Modules
Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1

Introduction to Conic Sections and Circle

Objectives

In this lesson, students should understand the idea of conic sections. They will also learn the first and
simplest conic section: The Circle. It will focus on the definition as well as its graph given an equation in center-
radius form.

Learning Competencies

After going through this module, you are expected to:

• illustrate the different types of conic sections
• define circle
• graph a circle given an equation in center-radius form

Let’s Recall

Answer the following questions. Write your answer on the space provided before each number.
___________________ 1. Given the measure of the diameter 15.3 cm, give the radius of the circle.
___________________ 2. Give the missing number in the equation: x + 3 = x - ?

___________________ 3. The simplest form of (3 − 0)2 + (4 − 1)2

___________________ 4. Compute for the distance of point A(2, 6) and point B(2 , -5) in the cartesian plane
___________________ 5. In the cartesian plane, point P is originally at (-1,3), but it moved 2 units to
the right and 3 units down. Give the new coordinates of P

Let’s Understand
The Conic Sections
Have you ever wondered what happens to the cone when you cut it in different ways? Are you curious on
the shapes it can create? Well, even if you have not thought of these questions, I hope that you will find this module
interesting as we discover different shapes and curves which are a bit different from what you already know in basic
algebra and geometry.

There was once a student of Eudoxus, who discovered the different intersections of a cone with a plane. He
is Menaechmus, a Greek mathematician who became later on, the tutor of Alexander the Great. During his time,
actual names of these conic sections did not exist yet. They were known simply as the intersections of a cone with
a certain plane. Apollonius of Perga on the other hand, made a thorough investigation on them. Apollonius
considered himself a rival of Archimedes and was the first person to use the word parabola, ellipse and hyperbola.
His works were expounded in an eight-volume work called Conics.
 Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1

You may be curious why we need to learn conics? Well, conic sections have real life applications as they
are found in arts, architecture, engineering, astronomy, and physics. They play an important role in atomic and
electromagnetic field theory, as well as in acoustics and optics. Satellites around the earth and the orbits of planets
around the sun are elliptical. While, mirrors used in telescopes, antennas, spotlight reflectors
are parabolas. Some comets have parabolic orbits, some have hyperbolic orbits. Comets that
have elliptical orbits, such as Haley’s comet, reappear once-every-76-year. Comets that follow
parabolic or hyperbolic orbits are seen for a short period of time, but never reappear.

These are just few amazing real-life proofs that conics are everywhere and are part of supernatural creation
of God. These evidences show God’s creativity as Psalms 19:2 tells us “The heavens declare the glory of God; the
sky proclaims its builder’s craft.” That means, all of God’s work are
wonderful. God makes huge, complex but marvelous things here and
outside our world. And even if these massive things move
elliptically, parabolically, or hyperbolically, they manage to move
without hurting people and any life on earth.

A conic section (or simply conic) can be described as the

intersection of a plane and a double-napped cone (please see figure
at the right). Note that if the plane does pass through the vertex of
the cone, the resulting figure is a degenerate conic, (point, line or
two intersecting lines).
Picture copied from the book Calculus by
Douglas F. Riddle, Wadsworth, Inc. 1984

The Circle
Standard Form of the Equation of the Circle
If you will try to draw a figure using a string attached to a fixed point, you will discover that you can create
a perfect circle! This is where the concept of the circle comes from. A circle is the set of all points on a plane that
are equidistant from a fixed point called center. While, the distance from the center to any point of the circle is
called the radius.

Now, place this circle on a rectangular coordinate system. We let P(x,y) be any point on the circle, and
point C(h,k) be the center of the circle (not on the origin), and r be the radius of the circle (see the figure below).
Using the distance formula, we can write the equation of the circle in a center-radius or standard form.

From this…. (x − h)2 + ( y − k )2 =r

To this…. (x − h)2 + ( y − k )2 = r 2 standard form

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 Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1
*Note that if radius r becomes zero, we
will just have a single point. Therefore,
it can be called point-circle.
But if r is negative, there will be no
circle.

Example 1
Find the standard form of the equation of the circle whose center is at (1, 2)
and whose radius is 3.
Draw the circle.
Solution:
Since the center C(h,k) is at (1, 2),then h =1, k =2 and r =3. Substituting these values into the standard form of
equation, we get
(x – h)2+ (y – k)2 = r2 (x –1)2+ (y –2)2 = 32

Therefore, the standard form Graph:

of equation of the circle is

(x –1)2+ (y –2)2 =9

Example 2
Find the standard form of the equation of the circle whose center is at (-2,1) and whose diameter is 4.
Draw the circle.
Solution:
1
Let C(h,k)= (-2, 1) and r = diameter , therefore r = 2. Substituting these values into the standard form of
2
equation of the circle, we obtain
Graph:
(x – h)2 + (y – k)2 = r2
(x – (-2))2 + (y – 1)2 = (2)2
(x + 2)2 + (y – 1)2 = 4 standard form

Example 3

Find the standard form of the equation of the circle whose center is at (1, 0) and which passes through the point
(-1,-1).
Solution:
Since the radius of the circle is not given, we have to compute for the radius by
getting the distance from center (1, 0) to the point on the circle (-1,-1). Using the

distance formula we obtain the following r = (x2 − x1 )2 + ( y2 − y1 )2

r= (− 1 − 1)2 + (− 1 − 0)2
* Let (1,0) be (x1, y1) and (-1,-1) be (x2, y2)
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 Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1
Simplifying it further…

r= (− 2)2 + (− 1)2 r = 4 +1 r= 5

Substituting r = 5 and (h, k) = (1, 0) in the standard form of the equation of a circle, we have
(x – h)2 + (y – k)2 = r2

(x – 1)2 + (y – 0)2 = ( 5) 2

(x – 1)2 + y2 = 5 standard form

Equation of a Circle with Center at the Origin

Imagine if the center of the circle is placed at the origin, C(h, k) = (0, 0). What do you think the equation
will look like? Equation will be much simpler!
From this …. (x – 0)2 + (y – 0)2 = r2
To this … x2 + y2 = r2

Example 4

Find the equation of the circle whose center is at the origin and radius 3. Draw the circle.
Solution:
If the center of the circle is at (0, 0) and r = 3, Graph:
then the equation is 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = (3)2 or simply

x2 + y2 = 9

Example 5

Find the equation of the circle whose center is at the origin and which passes through the point (3, -1).
Solution:
Remember that in getting the radius, we have to compute for the length of the line segment joining (0, 0) and
(3, -1). Thus,

r= (3 − 0)2 + (− 1 − 0)2 r= (3)2 + (− 1)2 r = 10  3.162

estimated value

The equation of the circle is Graph:

x2+ y2 = r2
x2+ y2 = ( 10 )2

x2+ y2 = 10

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 Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1

Let’s Apply

A. Table Completion. Write your answer on what is being asked on each item.

Equation Coordinates of the Center Radius

1. (𝑥 − 4)2 + (𝑦 − 1)2 = 16
2. (𝑥 − 1)2 + 𝑦 2 = 8

3. 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = 36
4. (-3, 9) 5

B. Graphing. Find the equation and graph each of the given circle. Express your answer in the center-radius
or standard form.
1. Find the equation of the circle with center at the origin and passes through (-2, 3). Draw the circle.
Solution:

2. Find the standard form of the equation of the circle whose center is at (-2, -1) and whose radius is 3. Draw
the circle.
Solution:

Let’s Analyze

May I give you challenging problems? Try to analyze the following items.
Answer what is being asked and write your explanation/realization after.

In the figure at the right, find the standard form of equation of the circle.
Solution:

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 Precalculus Quarter 1 Week 1

Let’s Evaluate
A. Table Completion. Write your answer on what is being asked on each item.
Equation Coordinates of the Center Radius
1. (𝑥 − 2)2 + (𝑦 − 3)2 = 36
2. 𝑥 2 + (𝑦 + 3)2 = 9
1. 3. x2 + y2 = 12
2. 4. (0, -5) 4

B. Graphing. Find the equation and graph each given circle. Express your answer in the standard form.

3. Find the equation of the circle with the center at the origin and radius is 4 units.
Draw the circle.
Solution:

4. Find the standard form of the equation of the circle whose center is (5, 3) and
passing trough (4 , -1). Draw the circle.
Solution:

Let’s Create

Try This! Be like Menaechmus and make your own paper cones!
Let us see how these conic sections look like.

Step 1: Make 5 paper cones.

Step 2: Cut the 1st paper cone horizontally parallel to its base.
Step 3: Cut the second cone diagonally just like
the illustration shown at the right.

Step 4: Using your 3rd cone, tilt your scissors so that it is parallel to
one of the “sides” of the cone.

Step 5: Cut the 4th and 5th cone vertically upright. Then, try to tape the
vertices of the cones.

Were you able see the shapes of the conic sections?

Take pictures and let your teacher and guardian see your work!
Enjoy!
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