RWA # 1 Unit M Concept 5 (Graphing ellipses given equations)

RWA Real World Conic Section Application

1. Ellipses - "the set of all points such that the sum of the distance from the points is a constant."
2. Algebraically- (x-h)^2/a^2 + (y-k)^2/b^2 = 1 is what the equation looks like. The ellipse looks like an odd shaped football, almost egg shaped at times, it all depends upon the eccentricity. The ellipse has two vertices, two co-vertices, two foci, a major axis, minor axis, and a center. One finds these major parts by completing the square and then filling in the spaces of the chart, or the other way around taking bits of the chart and working backwards to find the standard form equation.
3. "Ellipse (including the circle, for which you can find many examples in life) real-life examples/uses:  since an ellipse has two focii (plural of focus), rather than only one like a parabola, the ellipse makes a great whispering gallery, where one person can whisper at one focus, and someone at the other focus (which may be far away) can clearly hear it;  an ellipitical trainer, used to simulate running indoors, copies the ellipitical motion your foot normally makes when running; the shape many cooks cut foods into, to make them more attractive (like cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, and similar)"(http://www.wyzant.com/resources/answers/3187/conic_sections_application) The ellipse is used from what I have found above in the dixie cup walkie talkies kids make with string. Its quite funny how ellipses and other math properties play a huge role in eveyday life.
4. Find ellipse link here 
5. Find Video link here 
6. Find picture link here 
7. References
• (http://www.wyzant.com/resources/answers/3187/conic_sections_application)
• http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/62576.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVrUEAiw5gA&feature=youtu.be
• http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/elliplanet_lg.JPG