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Solution - Properties of ellipses

Equation in standard form x2149+y2116=1
\frac{x^2}{\frac{1}{49}}+\frac{y^2}{\frac{1}{16}}=1
Center (0,0)
(0, 0)
Radius of the major axis 0.25
0.25
Vertex_1 (0,0.25)
(0, 0.25)
Vertex_2 (0,0.25)
(0, -0.25)
Radius of the minor axis 0.143
0.143
Co-vertex_1 (0.143,0)
(0.143, 0)
Co-vertex_2 (0.143,0)
(-0.143, 0)
Focal length 0.205
0.205
Focus_1 (0,0.205)
(0, 0.205)
Focus_2 (0,0.205)
(0, -0.205)
Area 0.036π
0.036π
x-intercepts (17,0),(-17,0)
(\frac{1}{7}, 0), (-\frac{1}{7}, 0)
y-intercepts (0,14),(0,-14)
(0, \frac{1}{4}), (0, -\frac{1}{4})
Eccentricity 0.82
0.82

Step-by-step explanation

Why learn this

If you cut a carrot in half across its grain (like this: =|> ) the resulting cross-section would be circular and, therefore, somewhat easy to measure. But what if you cut the same carrot across the grain at an angle (like this: =/> )? The resulting shape would be more of an ellipse and measuring it would prove to be a bit more difficult than measuring a plain old circle. But why would you need to measure the cross section of a carrot to begin with?
Well... you probably would not, but such occurrences of ellipses in nature are actually quite common, and understanding them from a mathematical perspective can be useful in many different contexts. Fields such as art, design, architecture, engineering, and astronomy all rely at times on ellipses - from painting portraits, to building homes, to measuring the orbit of moons, planets, and comets.

Terms and topics