PRE-CAL

Sunday, 15 October 2023

9:49 pm

PARABOLA
 A parabola is the set of all points in the plane equidistant from fixed-point F and a fixed line l not containing F.

 Parts of PARABOLA:
o Vertex - center, point that lies on the axis of symmetry
 If the parabola opens upward, the vertex is the lowest point. If the parabola
opens downward, the vertex is the highest point.
o Focus - the fixed point F(0, c) or F(0, −c)
 The focus is c units above or below the vertex.
 Any point on the parabola has the same distance from the focus as it
has from the directrix.
o Directrix - the fixed line y = −c or y = c
 The directrix is c units below or above the vertex.
o Focal distance - distance of focus/directrix to vertex (c)
o Axis of symmetry - x = 0 (the y-axis)
 This line divides the parabola into two parts which are mirror images
of each other.
o Latus Rectum - segment containing the focus with endpoints on the parabola and perpendicular to the axis of
symmetry

 Standard eq at the origin (0,0)

Focus Equation Parabolas opens Directrix Axis of
Symm

(a,0) y² = 4ax To the right x = -a y=0

(-a, 0) y² = -4ax To the left x=a y=0

(0, a) x² = 4ay upward y = -a x=0

(0, -a) x² = -4ay downward y=a x=0

 Standard eq at vertex (h,k)

Focus Equation Parabolas opens Directrix Axis of
Symm

(a,0) (x-h)²= 4c(y-k) upward y=a x=0

(-a, 0) (x-h)²= -4c(y-k) downward y = -a x=0

(0, a) (y-k)²= 4c(x-h) To the right x=a y=0

(0, -a) (y-k)²= -4c(x-h) To the left x = -a y=0