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| Question 456904:  What is the equation of the ellipse with foci (0, 4), (0, -4) and vertices (0, 8), (0, -8)?
 Answer by lwsshak3(11628)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! What is the equation of the ellipse with foci (0, 4), (0, -4) and vertices (0, 8), (0, -8) ..
 Standard form of ellipse with horizontal major axis: (x-h)^2/a^2+(y-k)^2/b^2=1, (a>b), with (h,k) being the (x,y) coordinates of the center.
 Standard form of ellipse with vertical major axis: (x-h)^2/b^2+(y-k)^2/a^2=1, (a>b), with (h,k) being the (x,y) coordinates of the center.
 The difference between the two forms is the interchange of a^2 and b^2
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 Because the given x-coordinates of foci and vertices are the same at x=0, ellipse has a vertical major axis.
 length of major axis=16=2a
 center at (0,0) (midpoints of vertices and foci)
 a=8
 a^2=64
 c=half the distance between foci=8/2=4
 c^2=16
 c^2=a^2-b^2
 b^2=a^2-c^2=64-16=48
 b√48=6.93..
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 Equation:(x-0)^2/48+(y-0)^2/64=1
 =x^2/48+y^2/64=1
 see graph below as a visual check on the answers. note the center and end points of the ellipse.
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 y=(64-64(x^2)/48)^.5
 
  
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