Graphing the Ellipse and the Hyperbola

Instructions:

  1. Click on the "New Problem" Button.

  2. Follow the instructions written on the applet.  In this activity a is defined as the square root of the denominator of the x-squared term and b is defined as the square root of the denominator of the y-squared term.

  3. When you are asked to plot points, click on the graph where the point should be plotted.

  4. Click on the Hint button if you want help with the step that you are working on.  If you want to see a video of the activity being worked out, click on this video link.

Written Exercises

When you have mastered the above tutorial, please answer the following in a few complete sentences

  1. How do you tell the difference between the equation of an ellipse and the equation of a hyperbola?

  2. Describe the steps in graphing an ellipse?

  3. How do a and b help determine the graph of the ellipse and the graph of the hyperbola?

 

 

Information on graphing the ellipse and the hyperbola

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