Mathematics Project

Conic Sections

By: Saif AlYamahi, Abdelaziz Abbas Grade: 12.02

Goals
ATHS-FUJ 1

 Students will interpret their understanding of applications of the conic sections. Students will use technology for research and communication: wiki/blog. Students will present their findings to the class through digital Media (Video/Booklet).

Theme
This project covers the application of topics in conic sections; students will Apply the concepts and theorems they have learned on circles, parabolas, ellipses and hyperbolas. Moreover students will be able to apply their knowledge in relation to various Engineering problems.

INTRODUCTION:

ATHS-FUJ

Conic Sections are figures that can be formed by slicing a three dimensional right circular cone with a plane. There are different ways to do this, and each way yields a different figure. These figures can be represented on the graph as well as algebraically. The four conic sections are circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas.

Part 1:

ATHS-FUJ

Parabolas:
i) Find at least three real life application pictures representing the parabola.

ii) To hear what athletes are saying on the field or on the course, sports reporters use microphones with parabolic
ATHS-FUJ 4

shields to concentrate the sound at a microphone. For optimum audio reception, the microphone should be placed at the focus of this parabola. Determine the coordinates of the focus, then write the equation of the parabola. (Hint: Write an equation for a parabola based on ordered pairs.)

ii) Since the chart opens to the right it is a horizontal parabola The equation is The vertex is From the chart a is missing Replacing the values in the equation to find a

; Now we can find the equation

Part 2:

ATHS-FUJ

Solar System:

The elliptical orbit of Pluto has the greatest eccentricity among all planets of our solar system ( ). Plutos orbit has the sun at one focus and a major axis of 79.6 AU (astronomical units). Consider Plutos orbit on a giant coordinate grid where x and y are measured in AU and the sun is at the origin. (As shown in the figure above) A) Use the length of the major axis to determine a.

B) Use the eccentricity and

to determine the focal radius . (Round to 2 decimal places.)

C) Write an equation of the form

to model Plutos orbit.(We need to find b)

D) The perigee is when the Pluto is closest to the sun. The apogee is when it is furthest from the sun. What are the distances from the sun at these points? The perigee is when the Pluto is closest to the sun The apogee is when it is furthest from the sun

ATHS-FUJ

Part 3: Bridge:
Mohamed and Salim study a drawing of an ornamental bridge such as the one shown at the right. It shows an elliptical arch that spans a narrow strait of water. The arch they are studying can be modeled by the following formula

1. Mohamed wants to know the dimensions of the arch a. b. Which term in the equation defines the horizontal axis? Write a comparative statement to show whether the major axis of the arch is horizontal or vertical By comparing the value of a and b, since the larges value will be for and it is below the variable , that makes the major axis Horizontal. c. Mohamed says that the width of the bridge is Explain. , feet. Is he correct?

d.

Write an expression for the height of the bridge. B is expressed as the Height of the bridge, value of B = 11.5

ATHS-FUJ

2. Salim notes that this bridge is hardly high enough to pass under while standing up in a moderate-size boat. If he were to build a bridge, it would be at least 1.3 times as wide and twice as high. a. Find the vertices and co-vertices of Salims bridge design. So the vertices are:

So the co-vertices are:

b.

Write an equation for the design of Salims bridge using his minimum dimensions

ATHS-FUJ

Part 4: Application:
A cross-section of a parabolic reflector is shown in the figure. The bulb is located at the focus and the opening at the focus is 10 cm.

i.

Find an equation of the parabola.

ATHS-FUJ

ii.

Find the diameter of the opening |CD|, 11 cm from the vertex.

[ ( )

ATHS-FUJ

10

Part 5:
In the LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) radio navigation system, two radio stations located at A and B transmit simultaneous signals to a ship located at P. The onboard computer converts the time difference in receiving these signals into a distance difference |PA| |PB|, and this, according to the definition of a hyperbola, locates the ship on one branch of a hyperbola (see the figure).

Suppose that station B is located 400 mi due east of station A on a coastline. A ship received the signal from B 1200 microseconds signal from A. (a) Assuming that radio signals travel at a speed of 980 ft/s, find an equation of the hyperbola on which the ship lies.

ATHS-FUJ

11

(b) If the ship is due north of B, how far of the coastline is the ship? Value of

Therefore, the ship is 248.1 miles far from the coastline.

ATHS-FUJ

12