College Algebra (11th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0321671791
ISBN 13: 978-0-32167-179-0

Chapter 6 - Section 6.2 - Ellipses - 6.2 Exercises - Page 602: 17

Answer

$\dfrac{x^2}{5}+\dfrac{y^2}{9}=1$

Work Step by Step

The standard form of an ellipse that has foci $(0, \pm c)$ is $$\dfrac{x^2}{b^2}+\dfrac{y^2}{a^2}=1$$ where $\quad \quad a \gt b, \quad c^2=a^2-b^2, \quad\text{and}\quad \text{Center at }(0, 0)$ The given ellipse has its foci at $(0, -2)$ and $(0, 2)$ so its standard equation is in the same form as above with center at $(0, 0)$ and $c=2$.. The major axis is $6$ units long, which means that $2a=6$. Hence, $$2a=6 \\a=3\\ \implies a^2=9$$ Solve for $b^2$: $$c^2=a^2-b^2 \\ 2^2 =(3)^2-b^2 \\ b^2=9-4\\ b^2=5$$ So, the standard form of an ellipse becomes: $$\dfrac{x^2}{5}+\dfrac{y^2}{9}=1$$
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