Problem preview
G-GPE.3.1 Warmup M3-038-A03-V01

Complete the square for general quadratic conic equations; identify and graph circles, ellipses, parabolas, or hyperbolas.

Complete squares and extract ellipse axes

Problem

Complete the squares and normalize \(4x^2~+~9y^2~-~8x~+~36y~=~104\). Give the ellipse's standard form, center, semiaxis lengths, major-axis orientation, and major and minor axis lengths.

Big Picture

What this problem is really about

Factor each quadratic coefficient before completing the square inside its variable group, then move the compensating constants carefully. Normalize the completed equation so the right side is one. The binomial shifts give the center, square roots of the denominators give semiaxis lengths, and the larger denominator identifies the major-axis direction; double the semiaxes only when full axis lengths are requested.

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Four variants of this problem type
Curriculum context
Course
Math III
Standard
G-GPE.3.1
Category
Geometry
Domain
Expressing Geometric Properties with Equations
Objective
Complete the square for general quadratic conic equations; identify and graph circles, ellipses, parabolas, or hyperbolas.
Problem type
Complete squares and extract ellipse axes