Pre-Calculus with Limits
Class Notes
§9.1 Circles and Parabolas
Objective: Students will know how to recognize and write equations of circles and parabolas in
standard form, and how to use the reflective properties of parabolas.
I. Conic Sections
A conic section is the intersection of a plane and
double-napped cone. There are two types of
conics, basic and degenerate.
The four basic (non-degenerate) conics are: The five degenerate conics are:
1. Circle 1. The empty set
2. Parabola 2. A point
3. Ellipse 3. A line
4. Hyperbola 4. Two parallel lines
5. Two intersecting lines
II. Circles
A circle is the set of all points x , y in a plane that are equidistant
from a fixed point h, k , called the center of the circle. The distance r
between the center and any point x , y on the circle is the radius.
The standard form of the equation of a circle is x h y k r 2 .
2 2
The point h, k is the center of the circle. A circle whose center is at
the origin is x 2 y 2 r 2 .
Example 1: Find the standard equation of the circle with diameter having endpoints 2,1 and 6, 7 .
Example 2: Find the x- and y-intercepts of the circle with equation x 5 y 2 21 .
2 2
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Notes §9.1 Circles and Parabolas
Example 3: Find an equation for the circle with center 3, 2 and tangent to the y-axis.
Hint: Sketch the diagram.
III. Parabolas
A parabola is the set of all points h, k in a plane that are
equidistant from a fixed line, the directrix and a fixed point, the focus not
on the line. The midpoint between the focus and the directrix is the vertex,
and the line passing through the focus and the vertex is the axis (of
symmetry) of the parabola.
Eccentricity of a conic is defined to be the distance from the focus to
a point on the parabola divided by the distance from the point to the
directrix. Since these distances are the same in a parabola, it follows that
the eccentricity for the parabola is one, e 1 .
The vertex form of a parabola with vertex h, k is as follows:
y a x h k
2
Vertical axis; Directrix: y k p
x a y k h
2
Horizontal axis; Directrix: x h p
The focus lies on the axis p units (directed distance) from the vertex. If the vertex is at the
origin the equation takes one of the following forms:
y ax 2 Vertical axis x ay 2 Horizontal axis
1 1
x h k or y a x h k y k h or x a y k h
2 2 2 2
y x
4p 4p
1
The leading coefficient, a, of the vertex of a parabola is defined to be a , where p is the directed
4p
distance from the focus to the vertex. The latus rectum is the segment through the focus and parallel
1
to the directrix. Its length is .
a
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Notes §9.1 Circles and Parabolas
Example 4: Find the vertex, axis of symmetry, focus, directrix, eccentricity, and latus rectum for each
parabola. Use several points to graph the parabola. Also graph all the items that you found above.
Label everything!
a) y 2x 2 12x 16
b) 8x y 2 6y 9
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Notes §9.1 Circles and Parabolas
Example 5: Find the equation of each parabola and sketch an accurate graph for each.
a) Vertex 2, 1 and directrix y 1
5 3
b) Focus 3, and directrix x
2 2
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Pre-Calculus with Limits
Class Notes
§9.2 Ellipses
Objective: Students will know how to recognize and write equations of ellipses in standard form, use
the properties of ellipses, and find eccentricities of ellipses.
Definition of Ellipse – 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, 2a .
The line through the foci intersects the ellipse at
two pints called vertices. The chord joining the
vertices is the major axis, and its midpoint the
center of the ellipse. The chord perpendicular to
the major axis at the center is the minor axis.
The Equation of an Ellipse – The standard form of the equation of an ellipse with center h, k and
major axis length 2a and minor axes length 2b , where 0 b a , is
x h y k
2 2
1 Major axis is horizontal
a2 b2
x h y k
2 2
1 Major axis is vertical
b2 a2
The foci lie on the major axis, c units from the center, with c 2 a 2 b 2 .
Definition of Eccentricity
c
The eccentricity e of an ellipse is given by the equation e . Note that for every ellipse, 0 e 1 .
a
For an ellipse that is nearly circular, the
foci are close to the center and the ratio
c
is small (close to zero).
a
For this reason, the eccentricity of a
circle is defined to be e 0 .
When the eccentricity is close to 1, the
ellipse is elongated.
Page 1 of 4
Notes §9.2 Ellipses
Example 1: Rewrite the equation of the ellipse in standard form.
25x 2 9y 2 200x 36y 211 0
Example 2: For each ellipse, find the center, vertices, co-vertices, foci, lengths of the major and minor
axes and the eccentricity. Then sketch its graph.
a) 2x 2 4y 2 16
b) 2x 2 y 2 4x 8y 6 0
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Notes §9.2 Ellipses
Example 3: Find the equation of an ellipse in standard form using the information given.
a) Sum of the focal radii equals 12; foci at 0, 11 and 0, 11 .
b) Length of the major axis is 16 and is parallel to the x-axis;
Length of the minor axis is 9 and the center is at 5, 4 .
c) Vertices 1, 3 and 9, 3 ; minor axis is length 6.
1
d) Center 2, 3 ; e ; Foci 2,1 and 2, 5 .
3
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Notes §9.2 Ellipses
Example 4: A satellite travels about a planet in an elliptical orbit with the planet at one focus. The
major and minor axes of the orbit have lengths of 67,900 km and 58,200 km, respectively. Find the
greatest and smallest distances from the center of the planet to the center of the satellite.
Example 5: Review: Express each polar equation in rectangular form and name the type of graph.
a) r 6 cos
b) r 4 sin
6
c) r
2 4 sin
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Pre-Calculus with Limits
Class Notes
§9.3 Hyperbolas
Objective: Students will know how to recognize, graph, write equations of, and find asymptotes of
hyperbolas.
Definition of Hyperbola – A hyperbola is the set of all points x , y in a plane, the difference of whose
distances from two distinct fixed points, the foci, is a positive constant, 2a .
The graph of a hyperbola has two
disconnected parts called the branches. The
line through the two foci intersects the
hyperbola at two points called the vertices.
The line segment connecting the vertices is
the transverse axis, and the midpoint of the
transverse axis is the center of the hyperbola.
The Equation of an Hyperbola – The standard form of the equation of a hyperbola with center h, k is
x h y k
2 2
1 Transverse axis is horizontal
a2 b2
y k x h
2 2
1 Transverse axis is vertical
a2 b2
The vertices are a units from the center, and the foci
are c units from the center. Moreover, c 2 a 2 b 2 .
Asymptotes of a Hyperbola – Each hyperbola has two asymptotes that
intersect at the center of the hyperbola. The asymptotes pass through
the corners of a rectangle of dimensions 2a by 2b , with its center at
h, k . The asymptotes take the form:
b
y
a
x h k Asymptotes for horizontal transverse axis
a
y
b
x h k Asymptotes for vertical transverse axis
rise
*slope
run
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Notes §9.3 Hyperbolas
Eccentricity of a Hyperbola – The eccentricity is
c
e and since c a it follows that e 1 .
a
If the eccentricity is large, the branches of the
hyperbola are nearly flat.
If the eccentricity is small (close to 1), the
branches are more pointed.
Example 1: Sketch the graph of the hyperbola and find the center, vertices, foci, eccentricity and the
equations of the asymptotes. Also find the lengths of the transverse and conjugate axes.
x 2 y2
1
9 25
Example 2: Write the equation of the hyperbola in standard form and find the center, vertices, foci,
the equations of the asymptotes, eccentricity, and the lengths of the transverse and conjugate axes.
Then sketch its graph.
a) 25y 2 16x 2 100y 96x 444 0
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Notes §9.3 Hyperbolas
b) y 2 4x 2 2y 16x 1 0
Example 3: Write the equation of each hyperbola in standard form.
a) The equations of the asymptotes are 3x 2y 0 and 3x 2y 0 . It has a horizontal
transverse axis and passes through 6, 0 .
b) Conjugate axis of length 10 and one y-intercept is 8; center is the origin.
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Notes §9.3 Hyperbolas
c) Vertices are 2, 3 and 2, 3 ; Foci are 2, 5 and 2, 5 .
d) Vertices are 3, 0 and 3, 6 ; asymptotes are y x 6 and y x .
e) Vertices are 2,1 and 2,1 and passes through 5, 4 .
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Pre-Calculus with Limits
Class Notes
§[Link] #1 Degenerate Conic Sections
Objective: Students will know how to classify conic sections and identify degenerate conic sections.
I. Conic Sections and Degenerate Conic Sections
Recall: A conic section is the intersection of a plane and double-napped cone. There are two types of
conics, basic and degenerate.
The four basic (non-degenerate) conics are: The five degenerate conics are:
1. Circle 1. The empty set
2. Parabola 2. A point
3. Ellipse 3. A line
4. Hyperbola 4. Two parallel lines
5. Two intersecting lines
The case of the degenerate conic forming two parallel lines actually happens when the double-napped
cone is a degenerate cone, which forms a cylinder. (Imagine pulling the vertex of the cone infinitely far
away from the base of the cone, forming a cylinder.) You can imagine the intersection of a plane and a
cylinder as a set of parallel lines.
II. Classifying Conics Using Their Equations
A conic can be described by a general second-degree equation in x and y:
Ax 2 Bxy Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 . The expression B 2 4AC is called the discriminant of the
equation and can sometimes be used to identify the type of conic. With understanding that occasional
degenerate cases may arise, the quadratic curve Ax 2 Bxy Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 is:
1. A parabola if B 2 4AC 0 , (could also be two parallel lines or one line)
2. An ellipse is B 2 4AC 0 , (could also be circle, an isolated point, or the empty set)
3. A hyperbola if B 2 4AC 0 , (could also be two intersecting lines)
Example 1: Express in standard form, then identify completely the following degenerate conics.
a) x 2 10x y 2 6y 34 0
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Notes §[Link]#1 Degenerate Conic Sections
b) 9x 2 y 2 2y 1 0
c) x 2 2x 3y 2 12y 14 0
d) 9x 2 6xy y 2 16 0
e) y 2 10y 25 0
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Pre-Calculus with Limits
Class Notes
§9.4 Rotation and Systems of Quadratic Equations
Objective: Students will know how to eliminate the xy-term in the equation of a conic, use the
discriminant to identify a conic, and solve a system of quadratic equations.
I. Rotation
In §9.1, §9.2, and §9.3, we studied how to analyze and graph a conic section whose equations are of
the form Ax 2 Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 .
In this section, we graph conics whose equations are of the form
Ax 2 Bxy Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 . Because of the xy-term in the
equation, we cannot complete the square (since we cannot fully isolate the
x-terms and the y-terms).
Furthermore, conics with equations of this type have axes that are rotated
and not parallel to either the x-axis or the y-axis.
To eliminate the xy-term in the equation Ax 2 Bxy Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 , we
write it in the form A ' x ' C ' y ' D ' x ' E ' y ' F ' 0 by rotating the
2 2
A C
coordinate axes through an angle , where cot 2 .
B
The coefficients of the new equation are obtained by making the substitutions
x x ' cos y ' sin and y x ' sin y ' cos .
Example 1: Find the angle of rotation necessary to eliminate the xy-term in the equation
3x 2 2xy y 2 x 1 0 .
1
Example 2: Write the equation xy in standard form.
2
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Notes §9.4 Rotation and Systems of Quadratic Equations
y
Example 3: Sketch the graph of x 2 3xy 2y 2 2 0 .
1 2
Example 4: Sketch the graph of 9x 2 24xy 16y 2 80x 60y 0 which is equivalent to y '
4
x ' .
y
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Notes §9.4 Rotation and Systems of Quadratic Equations
II. Invariants Under Rotation
The quantities in an equation that do not The discriminant, B 2 4AC , can be used to
change when rotating the axes are called classify the conic before rotation as follows:
invariants under rotation. Use the methods of
Ax 2 Bxy Cy 2 Dx Ey F 0 is
this section, the invariants under rotation are:
1. An ellipse or a circle if B 2 4AC 0 .
1. F F '
2. A parabola if B 2 4AC 0 .
2. A C A ' C '
3. A hyperbola if B 2 4AC 0 .
3. B 2 4AC B ' 4A ' C '
2
Example 5: For each of the following, classify the graph, use the quadratic formula to solve for y, and
use a graphing utility to sketch the graph of the equation.
a) 3x 2 6xy 3y 2 2y 0
b) 3x 2 xy y 2 x 2y 0
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Notes §9.4 Rotation and Systems of Quadratic Equations
III. Systems of Quadratic Equations
Example 6: Solve the system of equations. Support your answer graphically.
2 2
x y 5
x y 1
Example 7: Solve the system of equations. Support your answer graphically.
2 2
4x 9y 36 0
2
4x 36y 0
Example 8: Solve the system of equations. Support your answer graphically.
1 2 2
3 x y 2x 0
3y x 2 0
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