Ellipse

An ellipse is the set of points in a plane such that the sum of the distances from two
fixed points in that plane stays constant. The two points are each called a focus. The
plural of focus is foci. The midpoint of the segment joining the foci is called
the center of the ellipse. An ellipse has two axes of symmetry. The longer one is called
the major axis, and the shorter one is called the minor axis. The two axes intersect at
the center of the ellipse (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Axes and foci of ellipses.

The equation of an ellipse that is centered at (0, 0) and has its major axis along the x‐
axis has the following standard form.

The length of the major axis is 2| a|, and the length of the minor axis is 2| b|. The
endpoints of the major axis are ( a, 0) and (– a, 0) and are referred to as the major
intercepts. The endpoints of the minor axis are (0, b) and (0, – b) and are referred to as
the minor intercepts. If ( c, 0) and (– c, 0) are the locations of the foci, then c can be
found using the equation

c 2 = a 2 – b 2
If an ellipse has its major axis along the y‐axis and is centered at (0, 0), the standard

form becomes 

The endpoints of the major axis become (0, a) and (0, – a). The endpoints of the minor
axis become ( b, 0) and (– b, 0). The foci are at (0, c) and (0, – c), with

c 2 = a 2 – b 2

When an ellipse is written in standard form, the major axis direction is determined by
noting which variable has the larger denominator. The major axis either lies along that
variable's axis or is parallel to that variable's axis.

Example 1

Graph the following ellipse. Find its major intercepts, length of the major axis, minor
intercepts, length of the minor axis, and foci.

This ellipse is centered at (0, 0). Since the larger denominator is with the y variable, the
major axis lies along the y‐axis.

Major intercepts: (0, 3), (0, –3)

Length of major axis: 2 | a| = 6

Minor intercepts: (2, 0), (–2, 0)

Length of minor axis: 

Foci: 

The graph of this ellipse is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The graph of Example.
Example 2

Graph the following ellipse. Find its major and minor intercepts and its foci.

4 x 2 + 25 y 2 = 100

Write 4 x 2 + 25 y 2 = 100 in standard form by dividing each side by 100.

This ellipse is centered at (0, 0). Since the larger denominator is with the x variable, the
major axis lies along the x‐axis.

Major intercepts: (5, 0), (–5, 0)

Minor intercepts: (0, 2), (0, –2)

Foci:  ,  

The graph of this ellipse is shown in Figure 3.

The standard form for an ellipse centered at ( h, k) with its major axis parallel to the x‐

axis is 

Major intercepts: ( h + a, k), ( h – a, k)

Minor intercepts:  ( h, k + b), ( h, k – b)

Foci: ( h + c, k), ( h – c, k) with 

The standard form for an ellipse centered at ( h, k) with a major axis parallel to the y‐

axis is 

Major intercepts: ( h, k + a) ( h, k – a)

Minor intercepts: ( h + b, k) ( h – b, k)

Foci: ( h, k + c) ( h, k – c) with 

The points where the major axis intersects the ellipse are also known as the
ellipse's vertices. That means that each major intercept is also known as a vertex of the
ellipse. Notice that the vertices, foci, and center of an ellipse all have the same
horizontal coordinate when the eclipse's major axis is parallel to the y‐axis, and all have
the same vertical coordinate when the major axis parallels the x‐axis. Ellipses may have
axes at oblique angles as well as horizontal and vertical, but their study is beyond the
scope of this course.

Figure 3. The graph of Example.

Example 3

Graph the following ellipse. Find its center, vertices, minor intercepts, and foci.

Center: (2, –1)

Vertices: 

Minor intercepts: 

Foci: 

The graph of this ellipse is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. The graph of Example.

Example 4

An ellipse has the following equation.

16 x 2 + 25 y 2 + 32 x – 150 y = 159

Find the coordinates of its center, major and minor intercepts, and foci. Then graph the
ellipse.

16 x 2 + 25 y 2 + 32 x – 150 y = 159

Rearrange terms to get the x‐terms together and the y‐terms together for potential
factoring.

16 x 2 + 32 x + 25 y 2 – 150 y = 159

Factor out the coefficient of each of the squared terms.

16( x 2 + 2 x) + 25( y 2 – 6 y) = 159

Complete the square within each set of parentheses and add the same amount to both
sides of the equation.
Divide each side by 400.

Center (–1, 3): Since the x variable has the larger denominator, the major axis is parallel
to the x‐axis.

Major intercepts: 

Minor intercepts: 

Foci: 

The graph of this ellipse is shown in Figure 5.

Ellipses are eccentric, a property that is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. If

the eccentricity of an ellipse were 0 (which it cannot be), that ellipse would be a circle.
The greater the eccentricity of an ellipse (the closer it is to 1), the more oval in shape
the ellipse is. The eccentricity of an ellipse, e, may be calculated as the ratio of

c,   to a, or  . Consider the last ellipse you graphed,

Figure its eccentricity by the formula, using a = 5 and 

Then 

Since e = 0.6, and 0.6 is closer to 1 than it is to 0, the ellipse in question is much more
oval than it is round.

Figure 5. The graph of Example.

Hyperbola
A hyperbola is the set of all points in a plane such that the absolute value of the
difference of the distances between two fixed points stays constant. The two given
points are the foci of the hyperbola, and the midpoint of the segment joining the foci is
the center of the hyperbola. The hyperbola looks like two opposing “U‐shaped” curves,
as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Properties of hyperbolas.

A hyperbola has two axes of symmetry (refer to Figure 1). The axis along the direction
the hyperbola opens is called the transverse axis. The conjugate axis passes through
the center of the hyperbola and is perpendicular to the transverse axis. The points of
intersection of the hyperbola and the transverse axis are called
the vertices (singular, vertex) of the hyperbola.

A hyperbola centered at (0, 0) whose transverse axis is along the x‐axis has the
following equation as its standard form.

where ( a, 0) and (– a, 0) are the vertices and ( c, 0) and (– c, 0) are its foci.

In the hyperbola,  . Don't confuse this with the ellipse

formula,  .

As points on a hyperbola get farther from its center, they get closer and closer to two
lines called asymptote lines. The asymptote lines are used as guidelines in sketching
the graph of a hyperbola. To graph the asymptote lines, form a rectangle by using the
points (– a, b), (– a, – b), ( a, b), and ( a, – b) and draw its diagonals as extended lines.

For the hyperbola centered at (0, 0) whose transverse axis is along the x‐axis, the

equation of the asymptote lines becomes 

Example 1

Graph the following hyperbola. Find its center, vertices, foci, and the equations of its
asymptote lines.
This is a hyperbola with center at (0, 0), and its transverse axis is along the x‐axis.

Vertices: (–4, 0) (4, 0)

Foci:    

Equations of asymptote lines: 

The graph of this hyperbola is shown in Figure 2.

A hyperbola centered at (0, 0) whose transverse axis is along the y‐axis has the
following equation as its standard form.

The vertices are now (0, a) and (0, – a). The foci are at (0, c) and (0, – c)

with c 2 = a 2 + b 2. The asymptote lines have equations 

In general, when a hyperbola is written in standard form, the transverse axis is along, or
parallel to, the axis of the variable that is not being subtracted.

Figure 2. Center, asymptotes, foci, and vertices.

Example 2

Graph the following hyperbola and find its center, vertices, foci, and equations of the
asymptote lines.

This is a hyperbola with its center at (0, 0) and its transverse axis along the y‐axis, since
the y variable is not being subtracted.
Vertices: (0, 2), (0, –2)

Foci:  , 

Equations of asymptote lines: 

The graph of this hyperbola is shown in Figure 3.

A hyperbola centered at ( h, k) will have the following standard equations:

 If the transverse axis is horizontal, then 

In this case, the vertices are at ( h + a, k) and ( h – a, k). The foci are at ( h + c, k)

and ( h – c, k) where  .

 If the transverse axis is vertical, 

The vertices are at ( h, k + a) and ( h, k – a), and the foci are at ( h, k + c) and
( h, k – c) where c 2 = a 2 + b 2.

Figure 3. The graph of Example.

Example 3

Graph  .

Center: (2, –3)

The transverse axis is horizontal.

Vertices: 

Find the coordinates of the corners of the rectangle to help make the asymptote lines.
The graph of this hyperbola is shown in Figure 4.

The equation xy = 16 also represents a hyperbola. This hyperbola has its center at (0,
0), and its transverse axis is the line y = x. The asymptotes are the x‐ and y‐axes. Its

vertices are at   

and  . The graph of this hyperbola is

shown in Figure 5.

Figure 4. The graph of Example.

Figure 5. Hyperbola in quadrants I and III.

Example 4

Graph xy = –4.

This hyperbola has its center at (0, 0). The transverse axis is the line y = – x. The
asymptotes are the x‐ and y‐axes. The vertices are

at   and  . The

graph of this hyperbola is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Hyperbola in quadrants II and IV.