SOLUTION: Find the distance of the point (3,4) to the foci of the ellipse whose equation 4x^2 + 9y^2 = 36

The canonical equation of this ellipse is

 +  = 1.    (to get it, simply divide both sides of the original equation by 36.)

It says that the major semi-axis is 3 units long, while the minor semi-axis is 2 units long.


Then the linear eccentricity is  = .


Hence the foci are these points  (,)  and (,).


From this point calculate the distances on your own.