Question 1143600: The foci of an ellipse are (-3,-6) and (-3,2). For any point on the ellipse, the sum of its distances from the foci is 14. Find the standard equation of the ellipse.
Answer by greenestamps(13200)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The standard form of the equation, with the major axis vertical, is
where the center is (h,k), a is the semi-major axis, and b is the semi-minor axis.
The distance from the center to each focus is c, where c^2 = a^2=b^2.
The distance between the two given foci is 8, so c is 4.
The sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to the two foci is 2a, so a is 7.
That gives you all the information you need to write the equation.
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