Properties of an Ellipse
Math: Precalculus: Analytic Geometry (Conics)
Math: AP Precalculus: Functions Involving Parameters-Vectors and Matrices
9-12
45 Minutes
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
3.2
By Steve Ouellette
Lessons
TNS
Properties of an Ellipse
Activity Overview
Students discover properties of an ellipse, such as the set of all points such that the sum of the distances from these points to two fixed points is constant.
About the Lesson
Students investigate the definition of an ellipse. They graph an ellipse, trace the graph, and record the coordinates of at least ten points.
They will see that the sum of lengths PF1 and PF2 remain constant, while the individual lengths continuously change. From their observations, students discuss their findings and form their own definition of an ellipse.
Download Files
Math: Precalculus: Analytic Geometry (Conics)
Math: AP Precalculus: Functions Involving Parameters-Vectors and Matrices
9-12
45 Minutes
TI-Nspire™ CX series
TI-Nspire™ CX CAS/CX II CAS
3.2
By Steve Ouellette
Lessons
TNS
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