How to describe the conic?

How do you "Describe the conics"?

x^2-y^2=9

and

25x^2+4y^2=100

Captain Matticus, LandPiratesInc2013-08-20T11:40:22Z

Favorite Answer

The first one is a hyperbola. You can tell because both x and y are squared and the sign of the coefficients are opposite.

It's centered on the origin and it has transverse axes of y = +/- x
Its vertices are at (-3 , 0) and (3 , 0)



The 2nd one is an ellipse
It is centered on the origin
It has a semi-major axis of 5 units that is parallel to the y-axis
It has a semi-minor axis of 2 units that is parallel to the x-axis

Best In The World At What I do2013-08-20T18:45:23Z

Conic section: circle, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola

1.the first one is a hyperbola (since its negative)
* x^2-y^2=9
= x^2/9- y^2/9=1 ( divide both side by 9 to make sure the equation is equal to 1)

2. the second one is an ellipse( since it is positive, if its negative than its hyperbola)
* 25x^2+ 4y^2=100
=x^2/4+ y^2/25=1 (divide both side by 100 and make sure its equal to 1)

so the final equation of the ellipse is x^2/4+ y^2/25=1

for more information go to: http://math2.org/math/algebra/conics.htm