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If necessary, rewrite the equation. Then identify whether the ellipse is vertical or horizontal.
Center: (0,0)
Foci: (0 , sqrt(5)) and (0 ,- sqrt(5) )
Length of the Major Axis: 2sqrt(10) units
Length of the Minor Axis: 2sqrt(5) units
Graph:
First, we need to rewrite this equation such that it fits the general equation of an ellipse.
Horizontal Ellipse: & (x- h)^2/a^2 + (y- k)^2/b^2 = 1 [0.8em]
Vertical Ellipse: & (y- k)^2/a^2 + (x- h)^2/b^2 = 1
Because the denominator of the y-variable is greater than the denominator of the x-variable, the equation represents a vertical ellipse. Let's rewrite the equation a bit to make it easier to identify the values of h, k, a, and b.
Write as a difference
a = ( sqrt(a) )^2
Let's now use the equation to find the desired information.
| Equation of the Vertical Ellipse | (y- k)^2/a^2+(x- h)^2/b^2=1, a and b positive, with a>b |
(y- 0)^2/( sqrt(10))^2+(x- 0)^2/(sqrt(5))^2=1 |
|---|---|---|
| Center | ( h, k) | ( 0, 0) |
| Length of Major Axis | 2 a units | 2 sqrt(10) units |
| Length of Minor Axis | 2b units | 2sqrt(5) units |
| Foci | ( h, k± c), c^2= a^2-b^2 |
( 0, 0± c), c^2=( sqrt(10))^2-(sqrt(5))^2 |
Finally, let's calculate the value of c and find the foci.
Now we can add and subtract c to find the foci. Foci (0,0± sqrt(5)) ⇓ (0,sqrt(5)) and (0,- sqrt(5)) We will now use the information we found to draw the ellipse.