Four conic sections
Cone intersecting
a plane • Hyperbolas
• Ellipses
• Parabolas
• Circles (studied in
previous chapter)
Definiton of a parabola
• A parabola is the set of all points in the plane
that are equidistant from a fixed line
(directrix) and a fixed point (focus) not on the
line.
• Graph a parabola using this interactive web
site.
• See notes on parabolas.
Vertical axis of symmetry
If x2 = 4 p y the parabola opens
UP if p > 0
DOWN if p < 0
Vertex is at (0, 0)
Focus is at (0, p)
Directrix is y = - p
axis of symmetry is x = 0
Translated (vertical axis)
(x – h )2 = 4p (y - k)
Vertex (h, k)
Focus (h, k+p)
Directrix y = k - p
axis of symmetry x = h
Horizontal Axis of Symmetry
If y2 = 4 p x the parabola opens
RIGHT if p > 0
LEFT if p < 0
Vertex is at (0, 0)
Focus is at (p, 0)
Directrix is x = - p
axis of symmetry is y = 0
Translated (horizontal axis)
(y – k) 2 = 4 p (x – h)
Vertex (h, k)
Focus (h + p, k)
Directrix x = h – p
axis of symmetry y = k
Problems - Parabolas
• Find the focus, vertex and directrix:
3x + 2y2 + 8y – 4 = 0
• Find the equation in standard form of a parabola
with directrix x = -1 and focus (3, 2).
• Find the equation in standard form of a parabola
with vertex at the origin and focus (5, 0).
Ellipses
• Conic section formed when the plane
intersects the axis of the cone at angle not 90
degrees.
• Definition – set of all points in the plane, the
sum of whose distances from two fixed points
(foci) is a positive constant.
• Graph an ellipse using this interactive web
site.
Ellipse center (0, 0)
• Major axis - longer axis contains foci
• Minor axis - shorter axis
• Semi-axis - ½ the length of axis
• Center - midpoint of major axis
• Vertices - endpoints of the major axis
• Foci - two given points on the major axis
Focus Center Focus
Equation of Ellipse
2 2
x y
•
2
2
1 a>b
a b
• see notes on ellipses
Problems
• Graph 4x 2 + 9y2 = 4
• Find the vertices and foci of an ellipse:
sketch the graph
4x2 + 9y2 – 8x + 36y + 4 = 0
put in standard form
find center, vertices, and foci
Write the equation of the ellipse
• Given the center is at (4, -2) the foci are (4,
1) and (4, -5) and the length of the minor axis
is 10.
Notes on ellipses
• Whispering gallery
• Surgery ultrasound - elliptical reflector
• Eccentricity of an ellipse
e = c/a
when e 0 ellipse is more circular
when e 1 ellipse is long and thin
Hyperbolas
• Definition: set of all points in a plane, the
difference between whose distances from two
fixed points (foci) is a positive constant.
• Differs from an Ellipse whose sum of the
distances was a constant.
Parts of hyperbola
• Transverse axis (look for the positive sign)
• Conjugate axis
• Vertices
• Foci (will be on the transverse axis)
• Center
• Asymptotes
Graph a hyperbola
• see notes on hyperbolas
2 2
• Graph y x
1
25 36
• Graph
x 6 2 y 3 2 1
25 144
Put into standard form
• 9y2 – 25x2 = 225
• 4x2 –25y2 +16x +50y –109 = 0
Write the equation of hyperbola
• Vertices (0, 2) and (0, -2)
Foci (0, 3) and (0, -3)
• Vertices (-1, 5) and (-1, -1)
Foci (-1, 7) and (-1, 3)
More Problems
Notes for hyperbola
• Eccentricity e = c/a since c > a , e >1
• As the eccentricity gets larger the graph
becomes wider and wider
• Hyperbolic curves used in navigation to locate
ships etc. Use LORAN (Long Range Navigation
(using system of transmitters)
Identify the graphs
• 4x2 + 9y2-16x - 36y -16 = 0
• 2x2 +3y - 8x + 2 =0
• 5x - 4y2 - 24 -11=0
• 9x2 - 25y2 - 18x +50y = 0
• 2x2 + 2y2 = 10
• (x+1)2 + (y- 4) 2 = (x + 3)2
