SOLUTION: Find the foci of the hyperbola defined by the equation: (x-6)^2/16 - (y+6)^2/4 = 1.I keep getting this question wrong I though I knew how to do this.Please help.

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Question 391784: Find the foci of the hyperbola defined by the equation: (x-6)^2/16 - (y+6)^2/4 = 1.I keep getting this question wrong I though I knew how to do this.Please help.
Answer by jsmallt9(3758) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
From the equation we can see
that the center of the hyberbola is (6, -6).
that the major axis of the hyperbola is horizontal because the term is positive (and the term is negative (or subtracted)).
that and

"c" is the distance from the center to the foci along the major axis. So to find the foci we will need to find "c". The equation for hyperbolas that connects a, b and c is:

Using the values we already have for and this equation becomes:

which simplifies to

Finding the square root of each side we get:

which simplifies as follows:

So the foci are a distance of , horizontally and in both directions, from the center. Since we want to move hoziontally from the center, in both directions, we will both add and subtract to/from the x-coordinate of the center. So the foci will be:
(, -6) and (, -6)