pLESSON NO.

1: Different Type of Conic Sections

Overview

Today, you will surely enjoy answering activities meant to help you solve the math
problems. In this lesson you will learn and understand the different types of conic sections
and how curve is obtain from the intersection of a plane and a cone. To have better
understanding with the topic, answer first the preliminary activity below to show what you
have already known with the different types of conic sections.

 Conic section: Any curve formed by the intersection of a plane with a cone of
two nappes.
 Circle – A circle is a conic section that is formed by intersecting a cone with a
plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the cone.
 Radius - A straight line from the center to the circumference of a circle.
 Center - is the point equidistant from the points on the edge of a circle.

Preliminary Activity

Let’s start with an activity by answering the following questions. This will help you
later in the lesson about different types of conic sections.
Instruction: Choose the word from the box that best describes the following figures
below. Write your answer in the blank.
Circle Ellipse Parabola
Hyperbola

a. _________________ c. _______________

b. _________________ d. _________________

Mathematics 11 - Precalculus Page 1

 INFORMATION SHEET

Some real-life examples of conic sections are the Tycho

Brahe Planetarium in Copenhagen, which reveals an ellipse in
cross-section, and the fountains of the Bellagio Hotel in Las
Vegas, which comprise a parabolic chorus line, according to Jill
Britton, a mathematics instructor at Camosun College. The
conics curves include the ellipse, parabola and hyperbola.
What is conic?
Conic section (or conics) is a particular class of curves which oftentimes appear
in nature and which have applications in other fields. One of the first shapes we learned, a circle,
is a conic. When you throw a ball, the trajectory it takes is parabola. The orbit taken by each
planet around the sun is an ellipse. Properties of hyperbolas have been used in the design of
certain telescopes and navigation systems. We will discuss circles in this lesson, leaving
parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas for subsequent lessons.

 Circle(Figure 1.1) – when the plane is horizontal

 Ellipse(Figure 1.1) – when the (tilted) plane intersects only
one cone form a bounded curve.
Figure 1.1

 Parabola (Figure 1.2) – when the plane intersects only one cone
Figure 1.2
to form an unbounded curve.

 Hyperbola (Figure 1.3) – when the plane(not necessarily vertical)

intersects both cones to form two unbounded curves (each called a
branch of the hyperbola)
Figure 1.3

Key Points

 A conic section (or simply a conic) is a curve obtained as the intersection of the surface
of a cone with a plane; the three types are parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas.

 A conic section can be graphed on a coordinate plane

 Every conic section has certain features, including at least one focus and directrix.
Parabolashaveone focus and directrix while ellipses and hyperbolas have two of each.

 A conic section is the set of points P whose distance to the focus is a constant multiple of
the distance from P to the directrix of the conic.

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 Now that you already understand the conic section, let’s check how much
you have learned by doing the following activities.
Activity 1

A. Identify the appropriate answer of the given questions. Write your answer on the
space provided.

_______________1. A plane that is perpendicular to the base of 2 cones makes this conic section.

_______________2. A plane that is slanted through a cone makes this conic section.

_______________3. A plane that is parallel to the base of the cone makes this conic section.

_______________4. A plane that is slanted and cuts through the base of the cone makes this conic
section.

Activity 2

A. Match the diagram with the appropriate conic section.

______1. Circle A.

______2. Parabola B.

______3. Hyperbola C.

______4. Ellipse D.

Activity 3
A. Answer the following questions.(Be guided with the rubric below).

1. How do you think we can apply the knowledge about conic section in real-life
scenario?

2. Cite some examples on how we can use our knowledge about conic section on
real-life problems?

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 Category Advance Proficient Emerging
(5) (3) (1)

Mathematical Explanation shows Explanation shows Explanation shows

Concepts complete some understanding very limited
understanding of the of the mathematical understanding of
mathematical concepts needed to the mathematical
concepts used to solve solve the problem. concepts needed to
the problem. solve the problem.

Neatness and The work is very neat The work is somehow The work is not neat
Organization and well-organized. neat and organized. and unorganized.

LESSON NO. 1.1: Definition and Equation of a Circle

In this lesson, the student will be able to;

 determine the standard form of the equation and characteristics of a circle
 transform the standard form of the equation of a circle to the general form
and vice versa.

Overview

In previous lesson, you learned about the different types of conic sections which
particular class of curves that oftentimes appear in nature and have applications in other
fields.
Today, you will learn about circle and the standard equation of the circle given the
coordinates of its center and the length of its radius.To strengthen your ideas about
circles, read the information sheet below.

INFORMATION SHEET

One prime example of a circle that you can find in real life is
a Ferris wheel.  All the points along the outer rim of the wheel
are equidistant from the center.  The lights on this one can help you see
that a little easier.

What is circle?
A circle is the set of all points in a plane that are equidistant from fixed point called the
center. The distance from the center to any point on the circle is called the radius of the circle,
denoted by r, where r>0.

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 P
C

Let us know derive the equation of a circle in Cartesian coordinates. Fix a point C(h,k) in the
Cartesian plane and a number r>0. Then, from the above definition, a point P(x,y) is on the circle
whose center is at C and radius r
|PC|= r
Then the distance from C to P is r; that is ,

√(x−h)2 +( y−k )2 = r
Squaring both sides of the equation leads to

( x−h)2+( y−k )2 = r2

Therefore, the standard form of the equation of a circle whose center is at (h,k) and
whose radius r is given by ( x−h)2+( y−k )2 = r2, where r> 0.

If the center of the circle is at the origin, that h=0 and k=0, and the radius is r, then the
equation of the circle is given by

x 2+ y 2 = r2 , where r > 0.

Given the center and the radius, it would be easy to determine the equation of the circle.

Consider the examples below.

Example 1: Determine the standard equation of the circle given the coordinates of its center and
the length of its radius.

a. Center at (2, -3)

1 1
b. Center at ( , ) and r = 6
2 4
Solution:
The standard form of the equation of the circle is (x-h)2 + (y-k)2 = r2. Substitute the values
of h,k, and r, in the equation, then simplify.
a. Since h=2, k= -3 and r=3, then the standard form of the equation of the circle is
(x-2)2 + [y-(-3)]2= 32
(x-2)2 + (y+3)2=9
1 1
b. Since h= , k= , and r= 6 , then standard form of the equation of the circle is
2 4

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 1 2 1 2 2
( x− ) +( y − ) =6
2 4

1 2 1 2
( x− ) +( y − ) =36
2 4

A. More properties of Circle

1. General Form of the Equation of a Circle
The equation of a circle can be written in another form by expanding the
binomials on the left side of the equation and then combining similar terms. Thus,

( x−h)2+( y−k )2 = r2

x 2−2 h x+ h2+ y 2−2 ky +k 2−r 2=0

x 2+ y 2−2 h x −2 ky+ h2 +k 2−r 2=0
The last equation can be written in the general form of the equation of a circle,
that is,

x 2+ y 2+ Dx + Ey+ F=0
2. Transforming the Equation of a Circle from the General Form to The
Standard Form and Vice Versa.
The next examples present the steps in writing the equation of a circle from the
general form to the standard form, and vice versa.
Example 2: Determine the standard form of the equation of the circle defined by

4 x2 + 4 y 2−4 x+ 24 y +1
Solution:
Divide the given equation by 4 to reduce the equation to its general form
1 Divide the given equation by 4 to reduce the
x 2+ y 2−x+ 6 y+ =0
4 equation to its general form.
Group all the x and y terms and transpose the
( x 2−x ) + ( y 2 +6 y ) =−1
4 constant term to the right side of the equation.
1 −1 1 1
( 4 )
x 2−x + + ( y 2 +6 y +9 ) = + +9
4 4
Complete the square of the x terms and add
4
to the right side of the equation.
Complete the square of the y terms and add 9 to
the right side of the equation.
1
Adding and 9 to both sides of the equation
4
will keep its balance.
1 2 2 Factor the left side and simplify the right side
( x− ) +( y +3) =9 of the equation.
2

1 2
Therefore, the standard form of the equation of the circle is ( x− ) +( y +3)2=9.
2

Activity 1

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Read and analyze the following problems. Write your answers on the space provided.(Be guided
with the scoring rubric 1.1 below)
A. Write the standard form of the equation of each of the following circles.
1. With a center at (0,5) and r = 4

2
2. With center at (-5, -6) and r =
3

B. Determine the center and the length of the radius of each circle given its standard form.
Write your answer on the space provided.
1. ( x−7)2 +( y+7)2 =64

2. ( x +2)2 +( y)2 =12

Activity 2

A. Transform the general form of the equation of each of the following circles to its
corresponding standard form, and determine the center and the length of the radius. Write
your answer on the space provided.(Be guided with the scoring rubric 1.1 below)
1. x 2+ y 2+ 6 x +8 y +24 =0

2. x 2+ y 2−14 x +38=0

3. 144 x 2 +144 y 2+ 72 x +192 y+37=0

Activity 3

A. Write each equation of a circle in general form.(Be guided with the scoring rubric 1.1
below)
3 2
1. x 2+( y + ) =4
2

2. ( x−3 )2 + ( y−6 )2=17

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LESSON NO. 1.3: Graph of a Circle
Learning Outcomes:
In this lesson, the student will be able to:
 determine the center and radius of a circle ; and
 graph a circle given an equation in center-radius form.

Overview

In previous lesson, you learned about circle and standard equation of the
circle.

Today’s lesson it presents mathematical concepts in direct, straightforward,

and clear manner, which you can easily follow the key concepts of graphing a
circle. It will give you an essential understanding about analyzing and solving an
equation. The most important of which is the use of activities that harness your
critical thinking skills through a variety of exercises.

Pencil and Graphing Paper

Information Sheet

Graph a Circle
The rectangular coordinate system is used to sketch the graph of a circle. The graph
provides a clear view of its center and radius.
In figure 1.3, the center of the circle is at (-1,2) and the length of the radius is 2 units.

Figure 1.3 A circle whose center is (-1,2) and r = 2.

r=2

C(-1,2)

Example 3: Determine the center and the radius of each circle and then sketch the graph of each
equation on a rectangular coordinate system.

Mathematics 11 - Precalculus Page 8

 3 2
a. ( x− ) + y 2=9
2
b. x + y 2+ 8 x −12 y +51=0
2

Solution:
3 2 3 2
a. The equation ( x− ) + y 2=9 can be written as ( x− ) +( y−0)2=32. Therefore, the
2 2
3
center of the circle is at ( , 0) and the radius is 3.
2
The graph of the circle is shown in Figure 1.4.

r=3

3
C ( , 0)
2

b. The equation Is expressed in general form; thus, it should be transformed first in its
equivalent standard form. By the following the steps illustrated in example 2, the
equation x 2+ y 2+ 8 x −12 y +51=0 is equivalent to ( x +4 )2 +( y−6)2=1 in standard
form.
Therefore, the circle has the center at (-4,6) and its radius is 1. Its graph is shown
in Figure 1.5.

C(−4,6)

r=1

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Activity 1:
Determine the center and the length of the radius of the circle and sketch the graph of
each equation. Write your solutions and graph the following equations on a graphing
paper. (Refer to the scoring rubric 1.1 below).

3 2
1. x 2+( y + ) =4
2
2. ( x−5)2 +( y −15)2=4

Activity 2:
Determine the center and the radius of each circle and sketch the graph of each
equation. Complete the square if necessary. Write your solutions and graph the following
equations on a graphing paper. (Refer to the scoring rubric 1.1 below).

1. ( x +5 )2+ ( y+ 3 )2=16
2. ( x )2+ y 2−16=0

Activity 3:
Identify the center and the radius of the circle with the given equation in each item.
Sketch its graph, and indicate the center. Write your answers on a graphing paper.(Refer
to the scoring rubric 1.1 below).

1. x 2−4 x+ y 2 −4 y −8=0
2. x 2+ y 2−14 x +12 y =36

Note: Rubric 1.1 will be used to assess the student’s output.

Category Advance Proficient Emerging

(5) (3) (1)

Strategy/ Procedure The answer is The answer is The answer is not

completely accurate somewhat accurate accurate and no steps
and all steps are and most of the steps are followed.
followed. are followed.

Neatness and The work is very neat The work is somehow The work is not neat
Organization and well-organized. neat and organized. and unorganized.

References:
Ascano, J., et.al (2016). Precalculus Learner’s Material. 3F Maine City Tower, 236 Tomas
Morato Avenue, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City. Sunshine Interlinks Publishing HouseInc.

https://www.reference.com/science/real-life-examples-conic-sections-dd4782471b647b68

Mathematics 11 - Precalculus Page 10

https://sites.google.com/site/circleswagger/circles-in-real-life

Mathematics 11 - Precalculus Page 11