You can put this solution on YOUR website! Given the equation for an ellipse, find the length of the major axis: Re-arrange this to the standard form of the equation of an ellipse with major axis on the x-axis: where a = the semi-major axis and b = the semi-minor axis. Divide both sides by 12. Simplify the left side. Compare with the standard form: Take the square root of both sides. This is the length of the semi-major axis. This is the length of the major axis.