# 12.1 The ellipse

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In this section, you will:
• Write equations of ellipses in standard form.
• Graph ellipses centered at the origin.
• Graph ellipses not centered at the origin.
• Solve applied problems involving ellipses.

Can you imagine standing at one end of a large room and still being able to hear a whisper from a person standing at the other end? The National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., shown in [link] , is such a room. Architect of the Capitol. http://www.aoc.gov. Accessed April 15, 2014. It is an oval-shaped room called a whispering chamber because the shape makes it possible for sound to travel along the walls. In this section, we will investigate the shape of this room and its real-world applications, including how far apart two people in Statuary Hall can stand and still hear each other whisper.

## Writing equations of ellipses in standard form

A conic section, or conic , is a shape resulting from intersecting a right circular cone with a plane. The angle at which the plane intersects the cone determines the shape, as shown in [link] .

Conic sections can also be described by a set of points in the coordinate plane. Later in this chapter, we will see that the graph of any quadratic equation in two variables is a conic section. The signs of the equations and the coefficients of the variable terms determine the shape. This section focuses on the four variations of the standard form of the equation for the ellipse. An ellipse    is the set of all points $\text{\hspace{0.17em}}\left(x,y\right)\text{\hspace{0.17em}}$ in a plane such that the sum of their distances from two fixed points is a constant. Each fixed point is called a focus (plural: foci    ).

We can draw an ellipse using a piece of cardboard, two thumbtacks, a pencil, and string. Place the thumbtacks in the cardboard to form the foci of the ellipse. Cut a piece of string longer than the distance between the two thumbtacks (the length of the string represents the constant in the definition). Tack each end of the string to the cardboard, and trace a curve with a pencil held taut against the string. The result is an ellipse. See [link] .

Every ellipse has two axes of symmetry. The longer axis is called the major axis    , and the shorter axis is called the minor axis    . Each endpoint of the major axis is the vertex    of the ellipse (plural: vertices ), and each endpoint of the minor axis is a co-vertex of the ellipse. The center of an ellipse    is the midpoint of both the major and minor axes. The axes are perpendicular at the center. The foci always lie on the major axis, and the sum of the distances from the foci to any point on the ellipse (the constant sum) is greater than the distance between the foci. See [link] .

In this section, we restrict ellipses to those that are positioned vertically or horizontally in the coordinate plane. That is, the axes will either lie on or be parallel to the x - and y -axes. Later in the chapter, we will see ellipses that are rotated in the coordinate plane.

To work with horizontal and vertical ellipses in the coordinate plane, we consider two cases: those that are centered at the origin and those that are centered at a point other than the origin. First we will learn to derive the equations of ellipses, and then we will learn how to write the equations of ellipses in standard form. Later we will use what we learn to draw the graphs.

x exposant 4 + 4 x exposant 3 + 8 exposant 2 + 4 x + 1 = 0
x exposent4+4x exposent3+8x exposent2+4x+1=0
HERVE
How can I solve for a domain and a codomains in a given function?
ranges
EDWIN
Thank you I mean range sir.
Oliver
proof for set theory
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Inkoom
find to nearest one decimal place of centimeter the length of an arc of circle of radius length 12.5cm and subtending of centeral angle 1.6rad
factoring polynomial
find general solution of the Tanx=-1/root3,secx=2/root3
find general solution of the following equation
Nani
the value of 2 sin square 60 Cos 60
0.75
Lynne
0.75
Inkoom
when can I use sin, cos tan in a giving question
depending on the question
Nicholas
I am a carpenter and I have to cut and assemble a conventional roof line for a new home. The dimensions are: width 30'6" length 40'6". I want a 6 and 12 pitch. The roof is a full hip construction. Give me the L,W and height of rafters for the hip, hip jacks also the length of common jacks.
John
I want to learn the calculations
where can I get indices
I need matrices
Nasasira
hi
Raihany
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Solomon
need help
Raihany
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Nasasira
Raihany
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Cromwell
a
Amie
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Cromwell
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Amie
you guys know any app with matrices?
Khay
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Cromwell
Solve the x? x=18+(24-3)=72
x-39=72 x=111
Suraj
Solve the formula for the indicated variable P=b+4a+2c, for b
Need help with this question please
b=-4ac-2c+P
Denisse
b=p-4a-2c
Suddhen
b= p - 4a - 2c
Snr
p=2(2a+C)+b
Suraj
b=p-2(2a+c)
Tapiwa
P=4a+b+2C
COLEMAN
b=P-4a-2c
COLEMAN
like Deadra, show me the step by step order of operation to alive for b
John
A laser rangefinder is locked on a comet approaching Earth. The distance g(x), in kilometers, of the comet after x days, for x in the interval 0 to 30 days, is given by g(x)=250,000csc(π30x). Graph g(x) on the interval [0, 35]. Evaluate g(5)  and interpret the information. What is the minimum distance between the comet and Earth? When does this occur? To which constant in the equation does this correspond? Find and discuss the meaning of any vertical asymptotes.
The sequence is {1,-1,1-1.....} has