Real life application problems using Conics

1. A decorative glass pane above a doorway is constructed in the shape of the upper half of an ellipse.
The glass pane has a width of 80 inches at the bottom base and a height of 20 inches at the center. Find
the height of the glass pane 15 minutes to the right of the center.

Solution: We imagine the glass pane as a half-ellipse on the Cartesian plane as illustrated on the figure
below. Let the principal axis of the ellipse be the x-axis. We put the center at (0,0), the vertices at (-40,
0) and (40, 0), with the co –vertex at (0,20) We want to find the height (h) when x = 15.

x2 y2
We can see that a = 40 and b = 20. The equation of an ellipse is... + = 1
402 202

152 h 2 h2 152
When x = 15, we have y = h, so substitute 15 to x → + =1 ► =1−
402 20 2 202 402
2 2 2
15 2 40 −15 1375

►h
2
2=¿20 1−
( 40 2 ) 2
► h =20
( 40 2
2
)
►h =
4
¿
getting sq. rt of both sides:

5 55
h = √2 =18.54 inches.

h represents the height of the glass pane at x = 15.

2. Suppose a bulb is placed at the focus of an automotive headlight’s reflector. The bulb is 2 inches from
the vertex and the depth of the headlight is 4 inches. Find the diameter of the headlight at its opening.

Solution: We consider the cross section of the headlight in the shape of a parabola and to illustrate this
we put it in the coordinate axes. For convenience, we place the vertex at the origin, the axis of
symmetry along the x – axis with the parabola opening to the right.
The depth of the headlight is given as 4 inches. Therefore if we have the equation of the parabola, we
can solve for y when x = 4. The diameter of the headlight is 2y.

Since the parabola has V(0,0) and F(2,0) and opens to the right then p = 2 since it is given that the bulb
is at the focus that is 2 inches from the vertex, , and the equation of the parabola is

y2 = 4px ► y2 = 4(2)x or 8x and if x = 4 then y 2=8 ( 4 ) ∨32 ►¿ y=4 √ 2

Therefore the diameter 2y is 2(4√ 2 ¿or 8√ 2 inches.
3. A satellite dish has a parabolic reflector and receives signals to a receiver that is located at the focus.
If the dish is 200 cm across its opening when it is 25 cm. deep at the center. Find the location of the
focus.
Solution: It is preferable to place the vertex of the parabola at (0,0) and the axis of symmetry on the y –
2
axis. This parabola has an equation of x = 4py
Since the dish is 200 cm. across wide and 25 cm. deep at its center, then the point (100,25) is a point in
the parabola. Substituting x = 100 and y = 25 in the equation x
2
= 4py; 1002=4 p ( 25 )

p = 100. Hence the focus of the paraboloid is 100 cm. above the
vertex on the axis of the satellite dish.

4. A satellite 1,600 km above the surface of Earth is

moving at 28 000 km per hour in a circular orbit.
The satellite will follow a parabolic path with the
center of Earth as its focus and escape the
gravitational pull of Earth if its velocity is multiplied
by √2. Assume that Earth has a radius of 6378 km.

a. what is the minimum velocity of the satellite

necessary to escape the gravitational pull of Earth?

b. Find the equation of the circular orbit of the

satellite.

c. What will be the parabolic path of the satellite?

Solution:

a. The minimum velocity of the satellite necessary to escape the gravitational pull of Earth is

(28000) (√2) ≈ 39600 km per hour.

b. It is preferable to place the center of the Earth at the origin. The orbit of the satellites is 1600 + 6378 =
7978 km from the center of Earth. Thus, the radius of the circular orbit of the satellite around Earth is
7978 km, and so, the equation of the circular orbit in standard form is:

x 2+ y 2 = (7978)2 x2 + y2 = 63,648,484.

c. The focus of the satellites with its escape velocity of 39600 km per hour is 7978 km away from the
vertex. Place the vertex at (0,0) and the focus 7978 km above the vertex on the y-axis. The parabolic
path of the satellite has an equation of the form x 2 = 4py with p = 7978 which yields

x2 = 4py x2 = 4 (7978)y x2 = 31912 y

5. Two radio transmitters 650 km. apart are positioned along the coast of the sea. A signal is sent
simultaneously from each transmitter. Using a LORAN system, a ship finds out that a radio signal from
the first transmitter reaches the ship 1680 microseconds before it received a simultaneous signal from
the second transmitter. Suppose the radio signals travel at 0,3 km. per microsecond.

a. Find the equation of the hyperbola having foci at the locations of the two transmitter in which
the ship is located.

b. If the ship is directly north of the first transmitter, find the distance of the ship from this
transmitter.

Solution:

a. The difference in arrival time of the two signals determines the constant difference 2a of the distances
from the navigator located on a branch of a hyperbola. Hence,

2a = distance = rate (time) ► 2a = (0.3km/s) (1980 s) ► 2a = 504km

► 2a = 504 ÷ 2 ► a = 252 km

This implies that that ship is located on a branch of hyperbola with transverse axis 2a = 504 km.
since the two transmitters are 650 km apart and are located at the foci of this hyperbola, it follows that
the 2c = 650 and c = 650 ÷ 2 = 325 km. Solving for half the length of the conjugate axis b, you have

b2 = c2 – a2 ► b2 = (325)2 – (252)2 = 105 625 - 63 504 = 42 121

► b = √42121 ≈ 205 km.

Thus, the ship is on the hyperbola whose equation is or equivalently,

x2 y2 x2 y2
− =1 − =1
(252)2 ( 205 )2 63504 42121

b. Let y be the distance from the ship to the first transmitter. If the ship is directly north of the first
transmitter, it follows that (x = 325, y) satisfies the equation of the hyperbola where the ship is located.
x2 y2 (325)2 y2 − y2 (325)2
You may get: − =1 ► − =1 ► =1−
63504 42121 63504 42121 42121 63504

− y2 105625 − y2 63504 105625

► =1− ► = −
42121 63504 42121 63504 63504

− y 2 −42121 y2 42121
► = ► = ►
42121 63504 42121 63504
42121
y 2=( 42121 ) ( )
63504

► y 2=27938 ► y=√ 27938 ► y=167 km

Thus, the ship is about 167 km north of the first transmitter.