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PRE-CALCULUS | WEEK 1 Lesson 1: Type of Conic Sections

Two millennia ago, Apollonius of Perga, the great Greek geometer, studied the curves formed by the
intersection of a plane and a double right circular cone, and discovered many properties of these curves. These
were later known as conic sections because they were formed from the double right circular cone. The cone
was thought of as having two parts that extended infinitely in both directions. A line lying entirely on the cone is
referred to as a generator of the cone. All generators of a cone pass through the intersection of the two parts
called vertex. There are three types of conics, depending on the number of generators that are parallel to the
cutting plane.
a. If the cutting plane is parallel to one and only one generator, the curve is a parabola.
b. If the cutting plane is not parallel to any generator, the curve is an ellipse. If the cutting plane is not
parallel to any generator but is perpendicular to the axis, the ellipse becomes a circle.
c. If the cutting plane is parallel to two generators, the curve is a hyperbola.

There are ways for a plane and the cones to intersect, to form what are referred to as degenerate cases:
a point, one line, and two intersecting lines. These are obviously not curves but are also possible results of
the intersection of the plane and the double right circular cone.
A Conic is a set of points whose distances from a fixed point are in constant ratio to their distances from
a fixed line that is not passing through the fixed point.
Definition:
a. Focus is the fixed point of the conic.
b. Directrix is the fixed line corresponding to the focus.
c. Principal axis is the line that passes through the focus and perpendicular to the directrix. Every conic is
symmetric with respect to its principal axis.
d. Vertex is the point of intersection of the conic and its principal axis.
e. Nappe is one half of a double cone.

Every conic section has certain features, including at least one focus and directrix. Parabolas have
one focus and directrix, while ellipses and hyperbolas have two of each.
The circle is type of ellipse, and is sometimes considered to be a fourth type of conic section.

The illustration below shows a cone and conic sections. The nappes and the four conic sections. Each conic is
determined by the angle the plane makes with the axis of the cone.

Parts of conic sections: The three conic sections with foci and directrices labeled.

Parabola - A parabola is the set of all points whose distance from a fixed point, called the focus, is equal to the
distance from a fixed line, called the directrix. The point halfway between the focus and the directrix is called the
vertex of the parabola.

Ellipses - An ellipse is the set of all points for which the sum of the distances from two fixed points (the foci) is
constant. In the case of an ellipse, there are two foci, and two directrices. On the right is a typical ellipse graphed
as it appears on the coordinate plane.

Hyperbolas - A hyperbola is the set of all points where the difference between their distances from two fixed
points (the foci) is constant. In the case of a hyperbola, there are two foci and two directrices. Hyperbolas also
have two asymptotes. On the right is a graph of a typical hyperbola.
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Parabola Ellipse

Hyperbola Degenerate Conics

Degenerate conics
A degenerate conic is formed when the plane does not pass through the vertex. It could be a point, a line, or two
intersecting lines.

Lesson 2: Circle
Definition of a Circle
Let C be a given point. The set of all points P having the same distance from C is called
a circle. The point C is called the center of the circle, and the common distance its
radius. The circle presented has a center on (ℎ,𝑘) and having a radius 𝑟.

FINDING THE STANDARD FORM OF THE EQUATION OF A CIRCLE

Consider the circle plotted in the coordinate plane below.
Let 𝑷(𝒙, 𝒚) be any point on the circle, 𝑪(𝒉, 𝒌) be the center of the circle (not on the origin) and 𝒓 be the radius of
the circle.
Using the distance formula, we can solve for the length of 𝑟, √(𝑥 − ℎ)2 + (𝑦 − 𝑘)2 = 𝑟
Squaring both sides of the equation gives us the standard equation of a circle, that is,
(𝑥 − ℎ)2 + (𝑦 − 𝑘)2 = 𝑟 2
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Expanding the standard equation will give us the general equation a circle

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝐶𝑥 + 𝐷𝑦 + 𝐸 = 0 𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑦 2 + 𝐶𝑥 + 𝐷𝑦 + 𝐸 = 0.

At this point, observed that circle can be a point or an empty set (has no graph) depending on the value of its
radius. Given the standard equation of a circle note that if the radius is zero the graph must be a point and if the
radius has a negative value the graph will be empty. In previous lesson it is called the degenerate conics of a
circle.

Example 1: Determine whether each equation represents a circle, a point circle, or

has no graph.
1. 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = 16
2. (𝑥 − 5)2 + (𝑦 + 7)2 = 0
3. (𝑥 + 2)2 + (𝑦 − 9)2 = −12
4. 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 − 16𝑦 + 62 = 0

SOLUTIONS:

(1) The radius is 4, then it is a circle

(2) The given equation is in standard equation whose radius is zero. Thus, it is a
point circle.
(3) Since the radius is negative, the equation has no graph or empty set.
(4) Converting the general equation into standard form will tell us that the equation represents a circle because
its radius is positive.
𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 − 16𝑦 = −62
𝑥 2 + (𝑦 2 − 16𝑦 + 64) = −62 + 64
𝑥 2 + (𝑦 − 8)2 = 2

Example 2. Find the standard form of the equation of a circle whose center is at (2,1) and whose radius is 2.
Draw the circle.
Example 3. Find the standard form of the equation of a circle whose center is at (−1,1) and whose diameter is 4.
Draw the circle.
Example 4. Find the standard form of the equation of a circle whose center is at (1,0) and which passes through
the point (-1,-1). Draw the circle.

ACTIVITIES:

I. Fill in the blanks.

1. A set of all points for which the sum of the distances from two fixed points (the foci) is called _______.
2. An ellipse has ______ number of focus/ foci.
3. An ellipse has ______ directrix/directrices.
4. Aside from the foci and directrices, a hyperbola also has two __________.
5. A _________ is the set of all points where the difference between their distances from two fixed points (the
foci) is constant.
6. In a parabola, the point half-way between the focus and the directrix is called _________.
7. A set set of all points whose distance from a fixed point, called the focus, is equal to the distance from a fixed
line, called directrix is what we call as _________.
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II. Draw a circle and label each part.

III. Find the equation of the circle with the following conditions.
1. Center at the origin, radius 4.
2. Center at (2,-3), radius = 5
3. Center at (-2,-3), and passes through (-2,0).
4. Center at (-3,5), diameter 12.
5. Given the standard form of the equation of a circle (𝑥 − 7)2+ (𝑦 – 8)2 = 144, find the center and the radius.
IV. (Writing in Mathematics)
Describe how to determine the equation of a circle whose diameter has its endpoints at (3,−4) and (−5,6).
V.

LESSON 3: Equation of a Circle

In this lesson, different examples were given with its complete solution and explanation for you to
determine standard equation form and general equation form of a circle. After determining the standard equation
of a circle, note that it is easy to identify the center and radius of a circle.

Example A: Determine the standard form and general form of the circle satisfying the given conditions.
1. center at the origin, radius 3
2. center (−3, 5), radius 4.
3. center (−2, 4), radius √2.
4. circle in figure 1.
5. center (2, −7), tangent to the 𝑦 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠.
6. center (2, −7), tangent to the 𝑥 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠.
7. has a diameter with endpoints 𝐴(−1, 4) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵(5, 2).
8. concentric with 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 − 4𝑥 − 2𝑦 − 4 = 0, diameter 8
9. contain the points 𝐴(4, 2), 𝐵(0, − 2), 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶(−10, 2)
Solutions:
(1) The standard and general equation form of a circle are 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = 9 and 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 −
9 = 0 respectively.
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