My beloved students, I believe that the past months had been a challenging and unforgettable for

some if not all. In whatever situation you may be in right now, I know that you can still draw out
the creativity and productivity in you.

I would like to thank you, in advance, for you will now be a part of my engaging “COVID 19-strucked
semester”!

At the end of the lesson, the student is able to:

ˆ recognize the equation of the different types of conic sections;
ˆ solve situational problems involving more than one conic sections.
 CHAPTER 1 : ANALYTIC GEOMETRY

LESSON 1.5: More Problems on Conic Sections

TOPIC OUTLINE
ˆ Identifying the Conic Section by Inspection
ˆ Problems Involving More Than One Conic Sections

1.5.1. Identifying the Conic Section by Inspection

The results of Modules 1 through 4 indicate that the graph of every equation of the form

Ax2 + By 2 + Cx + Dy + E = 0

is a conic, except for certain degenerate cases in which a point, one or two lines, or no graph is
obtained. Although we have considered only special examples, our methods can be applied to any
such equation.

We have the summary of the general form of equations of the four conic sections we discussed from
Modules 1 to 4. Some terms may vanish, depending on the kind of conic section.
1. Circle: both x2 and y 2 appear, and their coefficients are the same

Ax2 + Ay 2 + Cx + Dy + E = 0
Examples: 2x2 + 2y 2 − 12x + 2y + 1 = 0 and x2 + y 2 + 3x + 4y = 0
Degenerate cases: a point, or the empty set
2. Parabola: exactly one of x2 and y 2 appears

Ax2 + Cx + Dy + E = 0 (D ̸= 0, opens upward or downward)

By 2 + Cx + Dy + E = 0 (C ̸= 0, opens to the right or left)
Examples: y 2 + 8x − 6y + 25 = 0 (opens to the left)
x2 − 4y + 8 = 0 (opens upward )
Degenerate cases: one straight line, or two parallel lines, or the empty set
3. Ellipse: both x2 and y 2 appear, and their coefficients A and B have the same sign and are
unequal

Examples: 16x2 + 25y 2 − 160x − 200y + 400 = 0 (horizontal major axis)

16x2 + y 2 = 16 (vertical major axis )
If A = B, we will classify the conic as a circle, instead of an ellipse.
Degenerate cases: a point, or the empty set
 4. Hyperbola: both x2 and y 2 appear, and their coefficients A and B have different signs

Examples: 12y 2 − 4x2 + 16x + 72y + 44 = 0 (vertical transverse axis)

49y 2 − 4x2 − 98x + 48y − 291 = 0 (horizontal transverse axis)
Degenerate case: two intersecting lines

Note that 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).

CLASSIFYING A CONIC BY ITS GENERAL EQUATION

The graph of the equation

Ax2 + By 2 + Cx + Dy + E = 0
where A and B are not both 0, is conic or a degenerate conic. In the nondegenerate cases the
graph is
1. a parabola if either A = 0 or B = 0 (but not both),
2. an ellipse if A and B have the same sign and A ̸= B,
3. a circle if A = B ̸= 0,
4. a hyperbola if A and B have opposite signs.

EXAMPLES:
The graphs of the following equations are (nondegenerate) conic sections. Identify the conic
section.
1. 5x2 − 3y 2 + 10x − 12y = 22
Solution:
Since A = 5 and B = −3, the conic section is a hyperbola.

2. 2y 2 − 5x − 12y = 17
Solution:
Since A = 0 and B = 2, the conic section is a parabola.

3. 7x2 + 3y 2 − 14x + 12y = −14

Solution:
Since A = 7 and B = 3, the conic section is a ellipse.
1.5.2. Problems Involving More Than One Conic Sections

The following examples require us to use the properties of different conic sections at the same time.

Example 1.5.1. A circle has center at the focus of the parabola y 2 + 16x + 4y = 44, and is tangent
to the directrix of this parabola. Find its standard equation.

Solution. The standard equation of the parabola is (y + 2)2 = −16(x − 3). Its vertex is V (3, −2).
Since 4c = 16 or c = 4, its focus isF (−1, −2) and its directrix is x = 7. The circle has center at
(−1, −2) and radius 8, which is the distance from F to the directrix. Thus, the equation of the circle
is (x + 1)2 + (y + 2)2 = 64.

Example 1.5.2. The vertices and foci of 5x2 − 4y 2 + 50x + 16y + 29 = 0 are, respectively, the
foci and vertices of an ellipse. Find the standard equation of this ellipse.

Solution. Note that the given is the equation of a hyperbola. We first write this equation of the
hyperbola in standard form:

5(x2 + 10x + 25) − 4(y 2 − 4y + 4) = −29 + 5(25) − 4(4) = 80

(x + 5)2 (y − 2)2
− =1
16 20
For this hyperbola, using the notations ah , bh , and ch to refer
√ to a, b,p
and c of the standard equation
of the hyperbola, respectively, we have ah = 4, bh = 2 5, ch = a2h + b2h = 6, so we have the
following points:

center : (−5, 2)
vertices : (−9, 2) and (−1, 2)
foci : (−11, 2) and (1, 2).

It means that, for the ellipse, we have these points:

center : (−5, 2)
vertices : (−11, 2) and (1, 2)
foci : (−9, 2) and (−1, 2).
p √
In this case, ce = 4, and ae = 6, so that be = a2e − c2e = 2 5. The standard equation of the ellipse
is
(x + 5)2 (y − 2)2
+ =1
36 20
TRY THESE!

Activity 5

General Instructions: Use short bond paper as your answer sheet. Don’t forget to write
your name, student number, and your signature in your answer sheet/s. All answers must be
handwritten. Submit a scanned copy of your answers to the link provided in our ustep class
. Label file to be submitted using format YOUR FAMILY NAME-(Section)Activity5.
pdf.

Allowed FILE TYPE for SUBMISSION: 1 PDF ONLY

1. Last Names starting with A-N will answer even numbers only
2. Last Names starting with O-Z will answer odd numbers only

SOLVE AS DIRECTED. SHOW YOUR COMPLETE SOLUTION.

In items 1-6, the graphs of the following equations are non-degenerate conic sections. Identify the
conic section. Justify your answer.
1. 16y 2 − 9x2 − 54x − 64y − 161 = 0
2. 25x2 − 4y 2 − 150x − 16y + 109 = 0
3. 16x2 + 9y 2 = 144
4. 4x2 + 9y 2 − 16x + 18y − 11 = 0
5. x2 − 10x − 8y + 33 = 0
6. y 2 + 16x + 4y + 52 = 0
In items 7 - 8, analyze and solve the following problems:

7. An ellipse has equation 25x2 + 16y 2 + 150x − 32y = 159. Find the standard equation of the
parabola whose vertex is at center of this ellipse and whose focus lie at the x-axis.
8. Find the standard equation of the hyperbola whose conjugate axis is on the directrix of the
parabola y 2 + 8x + 8y = 24, having the focus of the parabola as one of its foci, and the vertex of the
parabola as one of its vertices.

References
[1 ] Teaching Guide for Senior High School – PreCalculus, Commission on Higher Education
(2016) pages 63 - 66.
[2 ] Swokowski, E.W. and Cole, J. A. (2010).Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry.
12th ed. Cengage Learning:USA.