SOLUTION: Please help me to solve this. Problem 1: two similarly-charged particles are propelled towards each other as shown. Instead of colliding, they repel each other and take hayperboli

Question 1184857: Please help me to solve this.
Problem 1: two similarly-charged particles are propelled towards each other as shown. Instead of colliding, they repel each other and take hayperbolic paths.if the equation of the hyperbola is x²-y²=16,how many units away are they from each other when they are at their closest?
Answer by greenestamps(13200) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

The hyperbola x^2-y^2=16 has its center at (0,0), and the two branches open right and left.

By symmetry, the points on the two branches that are closest together are when y=0.

Substituting y=0 in the equation gives x=-4 and x=4, so the points on the two branches that are closest together are (-4,0) and (4,0).

So the closest together the two branches of the parabola are is 8 units.

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