11.5E: Exercises for Section 11.5
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In exercises 1 - 8, determine the equation of the parabola using the information given.
1) Focus
- Answer
2) Focus
3) Focus
- Answer
4) Focus
5) Focus
- Answer
6) Focus
7) Focus
- Answer
8) Focus
In exercises 9 - 16, determine the equation of the ellipse using the information given.
9) Endpoints of major axis at
- Answer
10) Endpoints of major axis at
11) Endpoints of major axis at
- Answer
12) Endpoints of major axis at
13) Endpoints of major axis at
- Answer
14) Endpoints of major axis at
15) Foci located at
- Answer
16) Foci located at
In exercises 17 - 24, determine the equation of the hyperbola using the information given.
17) Vertices located at
- Answer
18) Vertices located at
19) Endpoints of the conjugate axis located at
- Answer
20) Vertices located at
21) Vertices located at
- Answer
22) Endpoints of the conjugate axis located at
23) Foci located at
- Answer
24)
In exercises 25 - 30, consider the following polar equations of conics. Determine the eccentricity and identify the conic.
25)
- Answer
parabola
26)
27)
- Answer
ellipse
28)
29)
- Answer
, hyperbola
30)
In exercises 31 - 34, find a polar equation of the conic with focus at the origin and eccentricity and directrix as given.
31) Directrix:
- Answer
32) Directrix:
33) Directrix:
- Answer
34) Directrix:
In exercises 35 - 51, sketch the graph of each conic.
35)
- Answer
36)
37)
- Answer
38)
39)
- Answer
40)
41)
- Answer
42)
43)
- Answer
44)
45)
- Answer
46)
47)
- Answer
48)
49)
- Answer
50)
51)
- Answer
For the equations in exercises 52 - 57, determine which of the conic sections is described.
52)
53)
- Answer
- Hyperbola
54)
55)
- Answer
- Ellipse
56)
57)
- Answer
- Ellipse
58) The mirror in an automobile headlight has a parabolic cross section, with the lightbulb at the focus. On a schematic, the equation of the parabola is given as
59) A satellite dish is shaped like a paraboloid of revolution. The receiver is to be located at the focus. If the dish is 12 feet across at its opening and 4 feet deep at its center, where should the receiver be placed?
- Answer
- At the point 2.25 feet above the vertex.
60) Consider the satellite dish of the preceding problem. If the dish is 8 feet across at the opening and 2 feet deep, where should we place the receiver?
61) A searchlight is shaped like a paraboloid of revolution. A light source is located 1 foot from the base along the axis of symmetry. If the opening of the searchlight is 3 feet across, find the depth.
- Answer
feet
62) Whispering galleries are rooms designed with elliptical ceilings. A person standing at one focus can whisper and be heard by a person standing at the other focus because all the sound waves that reach the ceiling are reflected to the other person. If a whispering gallery has a length of 120 feet and the foci are located 30 feet from the center, find the height of the ceiling at the center.
63) A person is standing 8 feet from the nearest wall in a whispering gallery. If that person is at one focus and the other focus is 80 feet away, what is the length and the height at the center of the gallery?
- Answer
- Length is 96 feet and height is approximately 26.53 feet.
In exercises 64 - 67, determine the polar equation form of the orbit given the length of the major axis and eccentricity for the orbits of the comets or planets. Distance is given in astronomical units (AU).
64) Halley’s Comet: length of major axis =
65) Hale-Bopp Comet: length of major axis =
- Answer
66) Mars: length of major axis =
67) Jupiter: length of major axis =
- Answer


