Ellipses and Parabolas: Eccentricity
- Author:
- Brian Sterr
Suppose we have an ellipse with a horizontal major axis and it has a fixed directrix of and corresponding focus at . Depending on the eccentricity, we will end up with a different ellipse. Adjust the slider for the eccentricity and see what happens to the ellipse. Answer the questions below.
Note: You can zoom in and out by scrolling on the mouse.As , what happens to the ellipse?
Where does the other focus go? And the center of the ellipse?
What happens as you decrease ?