Conic Sections

©Mathworld
 Conic Sections - Definition
• A conic section is a
curve formed by
intersecting cone with
a plane

• There are four types

of Conic sections
Conic Sections - Four Types
 Parabolas

© Art Mayoff © Long Island Fountain Company

 What’s in a Parabola
• A parabola is the set of all points in a plane such
that each point in the set is equidistant from a
line called the directrix and a fixed point called
the focus.

(x, y)

Copyright © 1997-2004, Math Academy Online™ / Platonic Realms™.

Why is the focus so important?

© Jill Britton, September 25, 2003

The Parabola
• One of nature's best known
approximations to parabolas
is the path taken by a body
projected upward and
obliquely to the pull of
gravity, as in the parabolic
trajectory of a golf ball. The
friction of air and the pull of
gravity will change slightly
the projectile's path from that
of a true parabola, but in
many cases the error is
insignificant.
 The Parabola
• This discovery by Galileo
in the 17th century made
it possible for cannoneers
to work out the kind of
path a cannonball would
travel if it were hurtled
through the air at a
specific angle.
The Parabola
• When a baseball is
hit into the air, it
follows a parabolic
path; the center of
gravity of a leaping
porpoise describes
a parabola.
 The Parabola
• The easiest way to
visualize the path of a
projectile is to observe a
waterspout. Each
molecule of water follows
the same path and,
therefore, reveals a
picture of the curve. The
fountains of the Bellagio
Hotel in Las Vegas
comprise a parabolic
chorus line.
The Parabola
• Parabolas exhibit unusual and
useful reflective properties. If a light
is placed at the focus of a parabolic
mirror (a curved surface formed by
rotating a parabola about its axis),
the light will be reflected in rays
parallel to said axis. In this way a
straight beam of light is formed. It is
for this reason that parabolic
surfaces are used for headlamp
reflectors. The bulb is placed at the
focus for the high beam and a little
above the focus for the low beam.
 The Parabola

• The opposite principle is used

in the giant mirrors in reflecting
telescopes and in antennas
used to collect light and radio
waves from outer space: the
beam comes toward the
parabolic surface and is
brought into focus at the focal
point. The instrument with the
largest single-piece parabolic
mirror is the Subaru telescope
at the summit of Mauna Kea in
Hawaii (effective diameter: 8.2
m).
The Parabola
• Heat waves, as well as light and
sound waves, are reflected to the
focal point of a parabolic surface. If
a parabolic reflector is turned
toward the sun, flammable material
placed at the focus may ignite. A
solar furnace produces heat by
focusing sunlight by means of a
parabolic mirror arrangement. Light
is sent to it by set of moveable
mirrors computerized to follow the
sun during the day. Solar cooking
involves a similar use of a
parabolic mirror.
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens to the right
and has a vertex at (0,0) is……

y 2
 4 px

©1999 Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens to the right and has a vertex at
(0,0) has the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (p,0)
• This makes the equation of the directrix x = -p
• The makes the axis of symmetry the x-axis (y = 0)
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens to the left
and has a vertex at (0,0) is……

y 2
 4 px

© Shelly Walsh
 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens to the left and has a vertex at
(0,0) has the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus(-p,0)
• This makes the equation of the directrix x = p
• The makes the axis of symmetry the x-axis (y = 0)
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens up and
has a vertex at (0,0) is……

x 2
 4 py

©1999-2003 SparkNotes LLC, All Rights Reserved

 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens up and has a vertex at (0,0)
has the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (0,p)
• This makes the equation of the directrix y = -p
• This makes the axis of symmetry the y-axis (x = 0)
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens down and
has a vertex at (0,0) is……

x 2
 4 py

©1999 Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens down and has a vertex at (0,0)
has the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (0,-p)
• This makes the equation of the directrix y = p
• This makes the axis of symmetry the y-axis (x = 0)
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens to the right
and has a vertex at (h,k) is……

( y  k )  4 p( x  h)
2

© Shelly Walsh
 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens to the right and has a vertex at
(h,k) has the following characteristics……..

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (h+p, k)
• This makes the equation of the directrix x = h – p
• This makes the axis of symmetry
b
y
2a
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens to the left
and has a vertex at (h,k) is……

( y  k )  4 p( x  h)
2

©June Jones, University of Georgia

 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens to the left and has a vertex at
(h,k) has the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (h – p, k)
• This makes the equation of the directrix x = h + p
• The makes the axis of symmetry b
y
2a
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens up and has
a vertex at (h,k) is……

( x  h)  4 p( y  k )
2

Copyright ©1999-2004 Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center
 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens up and has a vertex at (h,k) has
the following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the

focus or directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (h , k + p)
• This makes the equation of the directrix y = k – p

b
• The makes the axis of symmetry x
2a
 Parabola
• The Standard Form of a Parabola that opens
down and has a vertex at (h,k) is……

( x  h) 2
 4 p( y  k )

Copyright ©1999-2004 Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center
 Parabola
• The Parabola that opens down and has a vertex at (h,k) has the
following characteristics……

• p is the distance from the vertex of the parabola to the focus or

directrix
• This makes the coordinates of the focus (h , k - p)
• This makes the equation of the directrix y = k + p

b
• This makes the axis of symmetry x
2a
 Ellipse

© Jill Britton, September 25, 2003

•Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capital building is elliptic. It was in this room that John Quincy
Adams, while a member of the House of Representatives, discovered this acoustical
phenomenon. He situated his desk at a focal point of the elliptical ceiling, easily
eavesdropping on the private conversations of other House members located near the
other focal point.
 What is in an Ellipse?
• The set of all points in the plane, the sum of whose
distances from two fixed points, called the foci, is a
constant. (“Foci” is the plural of “focus”, and is
pronounced FOH-sigh.)

•Copyright © 1997-2004, Math Academy Online™ / Platonic Realms™.

 Why are the foci of the ellipse
important?
• The ellipse has an important property that is
used in the reflection of light and sound waves.
Any light or signal that starts at one focus will
be reflected to the other focus. This principle is
used in lithotripsy, a medical procedure for
treating kidney stones. The patient is placed in
a elliptical tank of water, with the kidney stone
at one focus. High-energy shock waves
generated at the other focus are concentrated
on the stone, pulverizing it.
 Why are the foci of the ellipse
important?
• St. Paul's Cathedral in London. If a person
whispers near one focus, he can be heard at the
other focus, although he cannot be heard at many
places in between.

© 1994-2004 Kevin Matthews and Artifice, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Ellipse
• Though not so
simple as the circle,
the ellipse is
nevertheless the
curve most often
"seen" in everyday
life. The reason is
that every circle,
viewed obliquely,
appears elliptical.
 The Ellipse
• Any cylinder sliced on
an angle will reveal
an ellipse in cross-
section (as seen in
the Tycho Brahe
Planetarium in
Copenhagen).
The Ellipse
• Tilt a glass of water
and the surface of
the liquid acquires
an elliptical outline.
Salami is often cut
obliquely to obtain
elliptical slices which
are larger.
 The Ellipse
• The early Greek astronomers thought that
the planets moved in circular orbits about
an unmoving earth, since the circle is the
simplest mathematical curve. In the 17th
century, Johannes Kepler eventually
discovered that each planet travels around
the sun in an elliptical orbit with the sun at
one of its foci.
The Ellipse
 The Ellipse
• The orbits of the moon and of • Halley's Comet takes about 76
artificial satellites of the earth years to travel abound our sun.
are also elliptical as are the Edmund Halley saw the comet
paths of comets in permanent in 1682 and correctly predicted
orbit around the sun. its return in 1759. Although he
did not live long enough to see
his prediction come true, the
comet is named in his honor.

• Click here to see the orbit

The Ellipse
• On a far smaller
scale, the electrons
of an atom move in
an approximately
elliptical orbit with
the nucleus at one
focus.
 The Ellipse
• The ellipse has an important property that is used in the
reflection of light and sound waves. Any light or signal
that starts at one focus will be reflected to the other
focus. This principle is used in lithotripsy, a medical
procedure for treating kidney stones. The patient is
placed in a elliptical tank of water, with the kidney stone
at one focus. High-energy shock waves generated at the
other focus are concentrated on the stone, pulverizing it.
 The Ellipse
• The principle is also used
in the construction of
"whispering galleries"
such as in St. Paul's
Cathedral in London. If a
person whispers near one
focus, he can be heard at
the other focus, although
he cannot be heard at
many places in between.
The Ellipse
• Statuary Hall in the U.S.
Capital building is elliptic. It
was in this room that John
Quincy Adams, discovered
this acoustical phenomenon.
He situated his desk at a
focal point of the elliptical
ceiling, easily eaves-
dropping on the private
conversations of other
House members located
near the other focal point.
 The Ellipse

• The ability of the ellipse to

rebound an object starting
from one focus to the other
focus can be demonstrated
with an elliptical billiard table.
When a ball is placed at one
focus and is thrust with a cue
stick, it will rebound to the
other focus. If the billiard table
is live enough, the ball will
continue passing through
each focus and rebound to the
other.
 Ellipse
• General Rules
– x and y are both squared
– Equation always equals(=) 1
– Equation is always plus(+)
– a2 is always the biggest denominator
– c2 = a2 – b 2
– c is the distance from the center to each foci
on the major axis
– The center is in the middle of the 2 vertices,
the 2 covertices, and the 2 foci.
 Ellipse
• General Rules
– a is the distance from the center to each
vertex on the major axis
– b is the distance from the center to each
vertex on the minor axis (co-vertices)
– Major axis has a length of 2a
– Minor axis has a length of 2b
– Eccentricity(e): e = c/a (The closer e gets to
0, the closer it is to being circular)
 Ellipse
• The standard form of the ellipse with a center at (0,0)
and a horizontal axis is……

2 2
x y
2
 2
1
a b
 Ellipse
• The ellipse with a center at (0,0) and a horizontal axis
has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (  a,0)
x2 y2
• Co-Vertices (0,  b)  1
16 9
• Foci (  c,0)
© Cabalbag, Porter, Chadwick, and Liefting
 Ellipse
• The standard form of the ellipse with a center at (0,0)
and a vertical axis is……

2 2
x y
2
 2
 1
b a
 Ellipse
• The ellipse with a center at (0,0) and a vertical axis has
the following characteristics……

• Vertices (0, a) x2 y2
 1
• Co-Vertices ( b,0) 9 81
• Foci (0,  c) © Cabalbag, Porter, Chadwick, and Liefting
 Ellipse
• The standard form of the ellipse with a center at (h,k)
and a horizontal axis is……

( x  h) ( y  k )
2 2

2
 2
 1
a b
 Ellipse
• The ellipse with a center at (h,k) and a horizontal axis
has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (h  a , k)
• Co-Vertices (h, k  b)
• Foci (h  c , k)
©Sellers, James
 Ellipse
• The standard form of the ellipse with a center at
(h,k) and a vertical axis is……

( x  h) ( y  k )
2 2

2
 2
 1
b a
 Ellipse
• The ellipse with a center at (h,k) and a vertical axis
has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (h, k  a)
• Co-Vertices (h  b , k)
• Foci (h, k  c)

© Joan Bookbinder 1998 -2000

 Hyperbola
© Jill Britton, September 25, 2003

The huge chimney of a nuclear power plant has the shape of a hyperboloid, as does
the architecture of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium of the St. Louis Science Center.
 What is a Hyperbola?
• The set of all points in the plane, the
difference of whose distances from two fixed
points, called the foci, remains constant.

Copyright © 1997-2004, Math Academy Online™ / Platonic Realms™.

 Where are the Hyperbolas?
• A sonic boom shock wave has the
shape of a cone, and it intersects
the ground in part of a hyperbola.
It hits every point on this curve at
the same time, so that people in
different places along the curve on
the ground hear it at the same
time. Because the airplane is
moving forward, the hyperbolic
curve moves forward and
eventually the boom can be heard
by everyone in its path.

© Jill Britton, September 25, 2003

The Hyperbola
• If a right circular cone is
intersected by a plane
parallel to its axis, part
of a hyperbola is
formed. Such an
intersection can occur
in physical situations as
simple as sharpening a
pencil that has a
polygonal cross section
or in the patterns
formed on a wall by a
lamp shade.
 The Hyperbola

• A sonic boom shock wave has

the shape of a cone, and it
intersects the ground in part of
a hyperbola. It hits every point
on this curve at the same time,
so that people in different
places along the curve on the
ground hear it at the same
time. Because the airplane is
moving forward, the hyperbolic
curve moves forward and
eventually the boom can be
heard by everyone in its path.
The Hyperbola
• A hyperbola revolving
around its axis forms a
surface called a
hyperboloid. The
cooling tower of a
steam power plant has
the shape of a
hyperboloid, as does
the architecture of the
James S. McDonnell
Planetarium of the St.
Louis Science Center.
 The Hyperbola

• All three conic sections can be

characterized by moiré patterns.
If the center of each of two sets
of concentric circles is the source
of a radio signal, the
synchronized signals would
intersect one another in
associated hyperbolas. This
principle forms the basis of a
hyperbolic radio navigation
system known as Loran (Long
Range Navigation).
 Hyperbola
• General Rules
– x and y are both squared
– Equation always equals(=) 1
– Equation is always minus(-)
– a2 is always the first denominator
– c2 = a2 + b 2
– c is the distance from the center to each foci
on the major axis
– a is the distance from the center to each
vertex on the major axis
 Hyperbola
• General Rules
– b is the distance from the center to each
midpoint of the rectangle used to draw the
asymptotes. This distance runs
perpendicular to the distance (a).
– Major axis has a length of 2a
– Eccentricity(e): e = c/a (The closer e gets to
1, the closer it is to being circular
– If x2 is first then the hyperbola is horizontal
– If y2 is first then the hyperbola is vertical.
 Hyperbola
• General Rules
– The center is in the middle of the 2 vertices and
the 2 foci.
– The vertices and the covertices are used to draw
the rectangles that form the asymptotes.
– The vertices and the covertices are the midpoints
of the rectangle
– The covertices are not labeled on the hyperbola
because they are not actually part of the graph
 Hyperbola
• The standard form of the Hyperbola with a center at
(0,0) and a horizontal axis is……

2 2
x y
2
 2
 1
a b
 Hyperbola

• The Hyperbola with a center at (0,0) and a horizontal

axis has the following characteristics……

• Vertices ( a,0)
• Foci ( c,0)
b
y x
• Asymptotes: a
 Hyperbola
• The standard form of the Hyperbola with a center at
(0,0) and a vertical axis is……

2 2
y x
2
 2
 1
a b
 Hyperbola
• The Hyperbola with a center at (0,0) and a vertical
axis has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (0,  a)
• Foci ( 0, c)
a
• Asymptotes: y x
b
 Hyperbola
• The standard form of the Hyperbola with a center at
(h,k) and a horizontal axis is……

( x  h) ( y  k )
2 2

2
 2
 1
a b
 Hyperbola
• The Hyperbola with a center at (h,k) and a horizontal
axis has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (h  a, k)
• Foci (h  c, k )

• Asymptotes:
b
y  k  ( x  h)
a
 Hyperbola
• The standard form of the Hyperbola with a center at
(h,k) and a vertical axis is……

( y  k ) ( x  h)
2 2

2
 2
 1
a b
 Hyperbola
• The Hyperbola with a center at (h,k) and a vertical
axis has the following characteristics……

• Vertices (h, k  a)
• Foci (h, k  c)
a
• Asymptotes: y  k  ( x  h)
b
©Sellers, James
 Rotating the Coordinate Axis

Ax  Bxy  Cy  Dx  Ey  F  0
2 2

© James Wilson
 Equations for Rotating the Coordinate
Axes

x  x' cos   y ' sin 

y  x' sin   y ' cos 

AC tan 2 
B
cot 2  or
B AC
 Resources
Bookbinder, John. Unit 8: Conic Sections (College Algebra
Online). 2000. June 3, 2004
<http://www.distancemath.com/unit8/ch8p1.htm>.

Britton, Jill. Occurrence of the Conics. September 25, 2003. June 3,

2004 <http://ccins.camosun.bc.ca/~jbritton/jbconics.htm>.

Cabalbag, Christain, and Porter, Amanda and Chadwick, Justin and

Liefting. Nick. Graphing Conic Sections (Microsoft Power Point
Presentation 1997). 2001. June3, 2004
<http://www.granite.k12.ut.us/Hunter_High/StaffPages/Olsen_P/Cla
ssWebSite/2003%20student%20projects/27circlesandelipse.ppt
 Resources
Finney, Ross, et. al. Calculus: Graphical, Numerical,
Algebraic. Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley, 1999.

Jones, June. Instructional Unit on Conic Sections. University of

Georgia.
June 3, 2004
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt669/Student.Folders/Jones.June/conic
s/conics.html

Mathews, Kevin. Great Buildings Online. Great Buildings. une 3,

2004 <http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Saint_Pauls_Cathe
dral.html
 Resources
Mayoff, Art. San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
June 3, 2004
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ConicSection.html>.

Mueller, William. Modeling Periodicity .

June 3, 2004
<http://www.wmueller.com/precalculus/funcdata/1_10.html>.

PRIME Articles. Platomic Realms.

June 3, 2004
<http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/prime/index.asp>.
 Resources
Quadratics. Spark Notes from Barnes and Noble.
June 3, 2004
<http://www.sparknotes.com/math/algebra1/quadratics/section1.html

Roberts, Donna. Mathematics A . Oswego City School District

Regents Exam Prep.
June, 3, 2004 <http://regentsprep.org/Regents/math/math-
topic.cfm?TopicCode=conics>.

Seek One Web Services, Long Island Fountain

Company. <http://www.lifountain.com/fountainideas.html>.

Sellers, James, Introduction to Conics, June 8, 2004.

http://www.krellinst.org/UCES/archive/resources/conics/newconics.ht
ml
 Resources
Walsh, Shelly. Chapter 9 (Precalculus).
June 3, 2004
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~swalsh/UM/M108Ch9.html

Weissteing, Eric W. "Conic Section." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web

Resource. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ConicSection.html

Wilson, James W. CURVE BUILDING. An Exploration with

Algebraic Relations University of Georgia.
June 3, 2004
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/Texts.Folder/cb/curve.building.html
 Other Works Cited
• Jill Britton
– http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/jbconics.ht
m
• Online Encyclopedia
– Wikipedia
• The Comet’s Tale: Orbits
– http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd/lessons
/cometstale/frame_orbits.html
 Circle

©National Science Foundation

 Circle
• The Standard Form of a circle with a center at (0,0) and a
radius, r, is……..

x y r
2 2 2

center (0,0)
radius = 2

Copyright ©1999-2004 Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center
 Circles
• The Standard Form of a circle with a center at (h,k) and
a radius, r, is……..

( x  h)  ( y  k )  r 2 2 2

center (3,3)
radius = 2

Copyright ©1999-2004 Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center