This conic appears at first to be an ellipse since there is no xy term, an x² and a y² term with different coefficients with the same sign when on the same side of the equation. So we try to get it in standard form. Either in the formor 4x² + 5y² - 8x + 20y = -24 4x² - 8x + 5y² + 20y = -24 4(x² - 2x) + 5(y² + 4y) = -24 To complete the square in the first parentheses, Multiply the coefficient of x, which is -2, by 1/2 getting -1. Then square -1, which gives +1. So we add +1 to the right of the first parentheses, and since there is a 4 multiplied by the first parentheses we add 4·1 or 4 to the right side of the equation: 4(x² - 2x + 1) + 5(y² + 4y) = -24 + 4 To complete the square in the second parentheses, Multiply the coefficient of y, which is 4, by 1/2 getting 2. Then square 2, which gives 4. So we add 4 to the right of the second parentheses, and since there is a 5 multiplied by the second parentheses we add 5·4 or 20 to the right side of the equation: 4(x² - 2x + 1) + 5(y² + 4y + 4) = -24 + 4 + 20 Factor the first parentheses as (x - 1)(x - 1) or (x - 1)² Factor the second parentheses as (x - 2)(x - 2) or (x - 2)² Combine the numbers on the right, getting 0. 4(x - 1)² + 5(y + 2) = 0 Oh oh. This is an unusual situation because the right side came out to be 0. So we cannot get 1 on the right side as we could if it were some other number. This means that the graph is of an ellipse that is degenerated into a single point. The graph of the equation is simply a single point (1,-2) The graph is simply this single point (1,-2): This equation is the equation of a single point. A single point IS a conic section, because the vertex of a cone is a single point. A plane intersecting a cone at its vertex is a single point. Edwin