Sec. 9.

3
Hyberbolas

Hyperbolas in Real Life

What is a Hyperbola?
A hyperbola is a set of points in a plane, the difference of whose
distances from two fixed points, called foci, is a positive constant.

Branches - two disconnected parts of a

hyperbola
Vertices - the line through which the two foci
intersects the hyperbola at two points.
Transverse axis - line segment connecting the
vertices.
Center of hyperbola - midpoint of transverse
axis: (h,k)

Standard Equation of Hyperbola

Transverse axis is horizontal:

Transverse axis is vertical:

Transverse axis
Transverse axis

The distance from the center to each vertex is a

units
The distance from the center to each focus is c
units where:

Example 1: Finding standard equation of

hyperbola

Find the standard form of the equation of the hyperbola with foci (-1,2) and (5,2) and vertices (0,2) and (4,2).

Asymptotes and Conjugate Axis

Each hyperbola has two asymptotes that intersect at the center of the hyperbola,
forming an X.
y=k b/a(x-h)

Asymptotes for horizontal transverse axis

y=k a/b(x-h)

Asymptotes for vertical transverse axis

The conjugate axis is the line segment of length 2b.

(h, k+b) and (h, k-b) Conjugates for horizontal transverse axis
(h+b, k) and (h-b, k) Conjugates for vertical transverse axis

Conjugate Axis

Example 3: Finding the Asymptotes

Sketch the hyperbola
4x-3y+8x+16=0
4(x+2x)-3y=-16
4(x+2x+1)-3y=-16+4(1)
4(x+1)-3y=-12
y/2 - (x+1)/(3) = 1

1. Subtract 16 from each side and factor.

2. Complete the square.
3. Write in completed square form.
4. Write in standard form

Finding the Asymptotes Cont.

y/2 - (x+1)/(3) = 1
Center: (-1,0) (h/k)
Vertices: (-1,2) and (-1,-2) to k
Conjugates: (-1 - 3, 0) and (-1 + 3, 0) (h+b, k) and (h-b, k)
Finally, using a=2 and b=3, you can conclude that the asymptotes are:
y=2/3 (x+1)

y=k a/b(x-h)

Finding the Asymptotes Cont.

Example 4: Use The Asymptotes to

Find The Standard Equations
Use the vertices, (3,-5) and (3,1), and the asymptotes, y=2x-8 and y=-2x+4.
By the Midpoint formula, the center is (3, -2).
The hyperbola has a vertical transverse axis with a=3.
The slopes of the asymptotes are m=2=a/b and m=-2=-a/b.
Plug a into 2=a/b, and you get b=3/2.
Put them all together and you get the standard equation.
(y+2)/3 - (x-3)/(3/2) =1

Eccentricity
e=c/a

hyperbola with an
eccentricity of about 1.05

hyperbola with an
eccentricity of about 7.6

If eccentricity is large, the branches are flatter. If eccentricity is

closer to 1, the branches are more pointed.

Example 5: An Application Involving

Hyperbolas
Two microphones, 1 mile apart, record an explosion. A receives the sound 2 seconds before microphone B . Where did the explosion occur?

Solution: Assuming sound travels at 1100 feet per second, you know that the explosion took place 2200 feet farther from B than from A, as shown in
Figure 9.33. The locus of all points that are 2200 feet closer to A than to B is one branch of the hyperbola.

x/a - y/b = 1

c= 5280/2 = 2640 and a= 2200/2 = 1100

So, b= c - a = 2640 - 1100 = 5,759,600 and you can conclude that the explosion occurred somewhere on the right branch of hyperbola

x/1,210,000 - y/5,759,600 = 1

Example 6
a. 4x-9x+y-5=0
For the equation 4x-9x+y-5=0
AC=4(0)=0 so, the graph is parabola.
b. 4x-y+8x-6y+4=0
For the equation 4x-y+8x-6y+4=0,you have
AC=4(-1)<0 so the graph is hyperbola.

Example 6
C. 2x+4y-4x+12y=0
For the equation 2x+4y-4x+12y=0, you have
AC = 2(4)>0 so the graph is an ellipse.
d . 2x+2y-8x+12y+2=0
For the equation 2x+2y-8x+12y+2=0, you have
A=C=2 so the graph is a circle.

Homework

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