Pre-Calculus

Quarter 1 - Module 2:
Parabola
Pre-Calculus
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 - Module 2: Parabola
First Edition, 2020

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 Pre-Calculus
Quarter 1 - Module 2:
Parabola
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Pre-Calculus Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Parabola!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators both
from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping
the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming
their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

ii
For the learner:

Welcome to the Pre–Calculus Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Parabola!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner
is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies and
skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link

the current lesson with the previous one.

What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be

introduced to you in various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the

lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will

help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
into real life situations or concerns.

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 Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your
level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given

to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in developing

this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master Pre-Calculus. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different
learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of
students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But
the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

The module is focused on Parabola.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. define a parabola; and
2. graph a parabola given an equation in vertex form.

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 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.
A. Given the quadratic functions, determine the concavity and vertex.

1. y = x2-4
A. downward, (-1, 0) C. upward, (-1, 0)
B. downward. (0, -4) D. upward, (0, -4)

2. y = (x-2)2 + 3
A. downward, (-3, -3) C. upward, (3, 3)
B. downward. (3, -3) D. upward, (-3, 3)

3. y = -(x+1)2
A. downward, (-1, 0) C. upward, (-1, 0)
B. downward. (0, -4) D. upward, (0, -4)

Let the distance from a point on the parabola to the point in parabola be equal to the distance
from the same point on the parabola to line outside the parabola.

B. Determine the distance of the following:

4. A to D
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

5. C to D
A. 2 B. 4 C. 6 D. 8

6. The equation x2- 4x + 4 – y = 0 is a graph of a _______.

A. Conic Section C. Ellipse
B. Circle D. Parabola

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 7. What is parabola?
A. Conic formed when two plane intersects only one cone to form an
unbounded curve
B. set of all points in a plane and the sum of its distances from two fixed points
is constant
C. set of all points and the difference of whose distance from two fixed points
is constant
D. set of all points on a plane which are equidistant from one another from a
fixed point on a plane

8. From the given equation 𝑦 2 = 7𝑥 and graph,

find the equation of the directrix.

7 7
A. x= C. x2 =
4 4
7 7
B. x = - D. x = √
4 4

C. Find the equation of the parabola given the following properties

9. Focus (0, 4), directrix, y = -4

A. x = 16y2 C. x2 = 16y
B. y = 16x2 D. y2 = 16x

10. Focus, (2,0); directrix, x = -2

A. x = 8y2 C. x2 = 8y
B. y2 = 8x D. y = 8x2

3
 Lesson

1 Parabola

Parabola is a set of all points in a plane

equidistant from a fixed point and a fixed
line in the same plane. The fixed point is
called focus of the parabola and the fixed
line is called directrix, the point where
the parabola intersects its axis is called
vertex while the latus rectum is the
chord drawn through the focus and
perpendicular to the axis of the parabola.

Real life applications of conic sections are found in so many aspects of surroundings.
Such aspect are as follows: art, architecture, astronomy, engineering and physics.
Mirrors used in telescopes (reflecting) and spot lights are Parabolas. Celestial bodies,
like comets, have elliptical orbits, like the Haley’s comets which is a short period comet
which can be seen on earth once every 75-76 years, meaning, they can be seen by
human eye once in their lifetime.

Parabola was studied by Menaechmus in

an attempt to achieve cube duplication.
Menaechmus solved the problem by
finding the intersection of two parabolas:
x2 y and y2 = 2x. Euclid wrote about the
parabola, and it was given its present
name by Apollonius. Pascal considered
the parabola as a projection of a circle,
and Galileo showed that projectiles
falling under uniform gravity follow a
parabolic paths. Gregory and Newton
considered the catacaustic properties of
a parabola that bring parallel rays of
light to a focus (MacTutor Archive), as
illustrated below:

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 What’s In

Parabola
We consider the vertex of the parabola at the origin and the focus at ( a, 0).
Wherein a is a positive number and the axis of the parabola will be in the x axis, and
the directrix of the parabola is x = -a.

Such equation of a parabola opening to the right and by definition we have:

√(𝑥 − 𝛼)2 + (𝑦 − 0)2 = √(𝑥 − 𝛼)2 + 𝑦 2 (1)

√(𝑥 + 𝑎)2 + (𝑦 + 𝑦)2 = x + 𝑎 (2)
√( 𝑥 − 𝑎)2 = x + 𝑎 (3)

Squaring both side of (3), we get:

(√(𝑥 − 𝑎)2 + 𝑦 2 )² = ( 𝑥 + 𝑎)2 ⇒ x2 – 2 𝑎x + 𝑎2 + y2

= x2 + 2ax + 𝑎2 (4)

Simplifying (4), we get the equation of the parabola in standard position:

y2 = 4ax (5)

The graph will extend indefinitely far into the first and fourth quadrants and the axis
of the parabola is the positive x-axis.

The length of the latus rectum can be determined from the coordinates of its
endpoints.

y2 = 4a(a) ⇒ y2 = 4a2 (6)

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 P’(-a,y) d P

F(a,0)

Latus rectum = 4a
Directrix

x=a

Example 1. Sketch and explain the equation y2 = 4x

Solution:

The equation y2 = 4x is a parabola with vertex at the origin. The focus of the
parabola can be illustrated through:
4a = 4 ⇒ a = 1

Thus, the focus is at the point (1,0)

The directrix is the line x = -1. While the length of the latus rectum is equal to 4a
LR = 4a ⇒ LR = 4(1)
LR = 4

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 (1,2)

Latus rectum
(1,-2)
Directrix

x =-1

Graph of the Parabola Opening to the Right y2 = 4x

Example 2. Write the equation of the parabola illustrated below.

Any identified points on the graph can be utilized to the locate the parabola. However,
with respect to x and y intercept and the vertex, there are better solution to find the
equation of the parabola.

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Solution:

There are two ways to solve or present the problem.

First:
Use the two x intercepts at (-5 , 0) and (-1 , 0) to write the equation of the parabola
as follows:
y = a(x + 1)(x + 5)
Use the y intercept at (0, -5) to write:
- 5 = a(0 + 1)(0 + 5) = 5 a
Solve for a
a = -1
Write the equation of the parabola: y = -(x + 1)(x + 5) = - x 2 -6 x - 5

Second:
Use the vertex at (h, k) = (-3, 4) to write the equation of the parabola in vertex form
as follows:
y = a(x - h) 2 + k = a(x + 3) 2 + 4
Use the y intercept (0, -5) to find a.
- 5 = a(0 + 3) 2 + 4
Solve the above for a: a = -1
y = -(x + 3) 2 + 4 = - x 2 -6 x – 5
Example 3: Find the equation the parabola y = a x 2 + b x + c that passes by the
points (0, 3), (1, -4), and (-1, 4).

Solution:
Points (0, 3), (1, -4), and (-1, 4) are on the graph of the parabola y = ax 2 + bx + c
and are, therefore, solutions to the equation of the parabola. Hence, we write
the system of 3 equations as follows:
3 = a (0) 2 + b (0) + c
- 4 = a (1) 2 + b (1) + c
4 = a (-1) 2 + b (-1) + c
c=3
Substitute c by 3 in the last two equations
a + b = -7
a-b=1
Solve the system in a and b
a = - 3 and b = - 4
Equation: y = ax 2 + bx + c = -3x 2 - 4x + 3
Plot the graphs of y = -3 x 2 - 4x + 3 and check that the graph passes through
the points (0,3), (1,-4), and (-1,4).

Notes to the Teacher

Let the students realize that one’s knowledge in parabolas is very
important since its shape and characteristics are widely used in
practical applications, such as the design of parabolic mirrors,
searchlights, and automobile headlights; the path of a projectile
motion; arches and cables of a suspension bridge; and dish antennas.

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 What’s New

A parabola is shaped like a U that we form when we graph a quadratic equation.

We certainly see parabolas anywhere in our daily lives wherever we go. In this lesson,
we will learn the correct vocabulary to use when talking about them.

Parabolas in Everyday Life

These vertices are also the maximum heights of the parabolas

A big part of a math class is getting familiarized with the different types of relationships
which we encountered in our previous math classes. The most basic is a linear function,
which only has plain xs (such as y = 2x + 4). But, once you’re done with those, the next
stage is a quadratic function, which has x2's (such as y = x2 + 4). There are a lot to learn
in this area of quadratics, but the safest place to start is with their graphs.
Every time you put into graph a quadratic
equation, you always end up with what is called
a parabola. A parabola exists in a number of
activities, such sports, celebrations, and wars.
When the first throw of javelin in the Olympics, or
when the first nuclear was launched in Japan, or
even when the first ammunitions was fired in the
air during the World war, all of them formed
parabolas.
Nowadays, parabolas are still present in things
like those mentioned, but they are making their
way into more precise and up-to-the-minute
discoveries, like video games like the one which
became popular sometime in 2007 when a very
angry bird stole its eggs by naughty little pigs.
That way, by shooting, they used a slingshot to
target the pigs for that little bird to get back its eggs.
By targeting the pigs, upon the release from the slingshot it formed a parabola. (See
illustration).

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 Considering that the parabolas are “vertical” and with their vertices at the origin.
Some open “Upward”, “Downward”, “Left”, or sometimes opens to the “Right”, and some
lies their vertices not at the origin. Their standard equations and properties are given in
the following illustrations. There are also illustrated computations.

What is It

A parabola is the set of all points in a plane equidistant from a fixed point and a
fixed line. The fixed point is called the focus, and the fixed line is called the directrix.
Let us generalize the equations of a parabola and their corresponding features:
 An equation of the parabola having its focus at (0 , c) and having as its directrix
the line y = -c is 𝑥 2 = 4𝑐𝑦 and line y = c is 𝑥 2 = −4𝑐𝑦.
 An equation of the parabola having its focus at (c , 0) and having as its directrix
the line x = -c is 𝑦 2 = 4𝑐𝑥 and line x = c is 𝑦 2 = −4𝑐𝑥.

Let us check the equations and features of parabolas with horizontal axes by examining
the figure below:

Standard Equation: 𝑦 2 = 4𝑐𝑥 or 𝑦 2 = −4𝑐𝑥

Vertex: origin V (0,0)
Directrix: the line x = -c or x = c
Focus: F (c,0) or F (-c,0)
Axis of Symmetry: y = 0 (the x-axis)
Latus Rectum: (𝑐, +√4𝑐 2 ) & (𝑐, −√4𝑐 2 ) or
(−𝑐, +√4𝑐 2 ) & (−𝑐, −√4𝑐 2 )

Let us now solve the problem:

From the given equation and graph, find the focus, equation of the directrix, vertex, axis
of symmetry, and the endpoints of the latus rectum by pair.
𝑥 2 = 12𝑦

Focus: (0 , 3)

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 Equation of the Directrix: y = -3
Vertex: (0 , 0)
Axis of Symmetry: x = 0
Endpoints of the Latus Rectum: (-6 , 3) & (6 , 3)

The graph of the parabola is symmetrical on

either side of the axis of symmetry. Therefore,
if we plot points on one side of the axis of
symmetry, we can easily graph the
symmetrical points on the other side of the
axis of symmetry. As an example: if we plot a
certain point on the graph and we know the
x-axis is the axis of symmetry, then we know
that the certain point will also lie on the graph
of the parabola.

What’s More

There are also parabolas which opens Upwards or Downwards. To illustrate, let
us solve the following equations of the parabola.

The question is how are we going to find the vertex of a parabola?

Following the steps, we can be able to identify the vertex of a parabola:
First Step : Expand the equation into ax2 + bx + c
Second Step : Identify the coefficients of a and b
𝑏
Third Step : The vertex occurs at x = − 2𝑎
𝑏
Fourth Step : Substitute the value of − 2𝑎 to the equation to obtain the
value of y
Example: Find the vertex of the equation y = 5x2 – 10 x + 7
Following the steps above we can say that:
First step
Expand!
5x2 – 10 x + 7 (1)
Second step: identify the coefficient a and b
𝑎 = 5 and b = -10 (2)
Since we already identified a and b, let us now then substitute to the equation
in the third step to find the vertex at x,
𝑏 10
x= − =- =1 (3)
2𝑎 2(5)
substituting the (3)
y = 5(1)2 – 10(1) + 7
5 – 10 + 7
y=2
the vertex of the equation is (1, 2)

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Assessment: Parabola
1. Find the length of the latus rectum of a parabola having its vertex at the origin,
axis along x –axis, passing through (3,6)
2. Sketch the graph of a parabola y2 = -8x

What I Have Learned

The Parabola
 vertex - in the case of a parabola, the point (h, k) at the "end" of a parabola; in
the case of an ellipse, an end of the major axis; in the case of an hyperbola, the
turning point of a branch of an hyperbola; the plural form is "vertices".

 focus - a point from which distances are measured in forming a conic; a point at
which these distance-lines converge, or "focus"; the plural form is "foci"

 directrix - a line from which distances are measured in forming a conic; the
plural form is "directrices".

 axis - a line perpendicular to the directrix passing through the vertex of a

parabola; also called the "axis of symmetry"; the plural form is "axes".

 locus - a set of points satisfying some condition or set of conditions; each of the
conics is a locus of points that obeys some sort of rule or rules; the plural form
is "loci".

 The latus rectum of a conic section is the chord (line segment) that passes
through the focus, is perpendicular to the major axis and has both endpoints on
the curve. The length of the parabola’s latus rectum is equal to four times the
focal length.

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 What I Can Do

HOW TO FIND VERTEX:

How you find the vertex depends on whether the equation you're given is in
"standard form" or "vertex form". How do you know if your problem is vertex or standard
form? Each one has a very different form. What is standard form?

The STANDARD FORM equation is a quadratic polynomial and looks like y = ax2 + bx
+ c without any parentheses (it has not been changed into another form by completing
the square). If your equation looks like this, your vertex will be a point with an x
𝑏
coordinate that is − where you can find a and b by comparing the standard form
2𝑎
parabola formula to the equation you were given. Then, you can get the vertex coordinate
by taking your original equation and plugging in the x-coordinate you found and
simplifying until you have solved for y.

The VERTEX FORM is also a quadratic equation but is in the form y = a(x - h)2 + k. It's
easier and faster to find the vertex from the parabola vertex form, because the vertex is
just the point (h,k) and h and k are values you can pull straight from the equation by
matching the equation you were given with the vertex form formula that uses h and k.
If your given quadratic equation has x plus a number in parentheses, instead of minus
a number, like y = 2(x + 3)2, then you can rewrite the equation as subtraction of a
number, like y = 2(x - (-3))2, since adding 3 is the same as subtracting negative 3. This
means that your h value will be negative 3.

NOTE: If you want to be able to convert your standard form into vertex form with a
perfect square in your equation, you will need to "complete the square" first to get your
parabola equation into vertex form. On the graph of a quadratic function or parabola,
the vertex is either the lowest point on the parabola (the minimum), if the parabola is
opening up; or it is the highest point on the parabola (the maximum), if the parabola is
opening down.

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 Assessment

A. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Find the equation of the parabola with directrix y = -4 and focus (0, 4).
A. y2 = 2x C. x2 = 4y
B. x2 = 16y D. y2 = 6x

B. Find focus and length latus rectum of the parabola

1. y2 = 2x
1
A. Focus = ( , 0) ; LR = 2 C. Focus = (0, 1) ; LR 2
2
1
B. Focus = (1,0) ; LR = 4 D. Focus = (1, ) ; LR 4
2

2. 2y2 = 8x
A. Focus = (2, 3) ; LR = -2 C. Focus = (1, 0) ; LR = 3
B. Focus = (2, -2) ; LR = -2 D. Focus = (1, 0) ; LR = 4

3. y2 = -6x
1 3
A. Focus = (- , -1) ; LR = 2 C. Focus = (- , 0) ; LR = 6
2 2
B. Focus = (0, 1) ; LR = 2 D. Focus = (-2, 1) ; LR = -2

4. x2 = 4y
A. Focus = (2, -1) ; LR = -4 C. Focus = (3, -2) ; LR = -6
B. Focus = (0, 1) ; LR = -4 D. Focus = (0, -4) ; LR = -6

5. 3x2 = 12y
A. Focus = (0, 1) ; LR 2 C. Focus = (3, -2) ; LR = -6
1
B. Focus = (0, 1) ; LR = 4 D. Focus = ( , 0) ; LR = 2
2

C. Find the vertex and directrix of the parabola given the equation

1. (x + 1)2 = 2(y – 1)
1 3
A. vertex: (-1, 1); directrix: y = C. vertex: (1,1); directrix = y =
2 2
2 1
B. vertex : (-2, 1); directrix: y = D. vertex: (2, 2); directrix: y =
3 3

2. 2x2 +4y – 8 = 0
1 3 5 3
A. vertex: ( , ); directrix: y = C. vertex: (1, -1); directrix: y =
3 2 2 4
5 13
B. vertex: (0, 2); directrix: y = D. vertex: (-1, -1); directrix: y=
2 8

14
3. x2 + 4x – y + 7 = 0
11 3
A vertex: (2, 3); directrix: y = C. vertex: (1, 1); directrix: y =
4 4
11 13
B. vertex: (-2, 3); directrix: y = D. vertex: (-1, -1); directrix: y=
4 8

4. y2 + 4y + 3x -4 = 0
11 8 41
A vertex: (4, 3); directrix: y = C. vertex: ( , 1); directrix: y =
4 3 12
11 13
B. vertex: (-2, 1); directrix: y = D. vertex: (-1, -1); directrix: y=
4 8
5. 2x2 – 2x + y = 1
11 8 41
A vertex: (4, 3); directrix: y = C. vertex: ( , 1); directrix: y =
4 3 12
11 1 3 13
B. vertex: (-2, 1); directrix: y = D. vertex: ( , ); directrix: y =
4 2 2 8

Additional Activities

I. Sketch the graph of the following equation.

1. 4x2 + 6x = y -2
2. 2y2 + 8 = x + 8y

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 16
Additional Activities Assessment
3 1 A. 1. B C. 1. A
1. Vertex = (− , − )
4 4
3 3 B. 1. A 2. B
Focus = (− , − )
4 16
2. D 3. B
5
Directrix = y = 16
3. C 4. C
1
LR = 4 4. B 5. D
2. Vertex = (0,2) 5. B
1
Focus = ( 8 , 2)
1
Directrix = x = 8
1
LR = 2
What's More What I Know
1. LR = 12 1. B 10. B
2. 4a = 8 a = 2 LR = 8 2. C
3. A
4. A
5. C
6. D
7. A
8. B
9. C
Answer Key
References

https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/elements/bookXI/defXI18.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/CartesianCoordinates.html

https://owlcation.com/stem/How-to-Understand-Calculus-A-Beginners-Guide-to-Differentiation-and-
Integration

https://owlcation.com/stem/How-to-Understand-the-Equation-of-a-Parabola-Directrix-and-Focus

Garner, L. E. (1988). Calculus and Analytic Geometry. San Francisco, California: Dellen Publishing Company.

Leithold, L. (2002). The Claculus 7. Singapore: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.

17
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Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines 1600

Telefax: (632) 8634-1072; 8634-1054; 8631-4985

Email Address: blr.lrqad@deped.gov.ph * blr.lrpd@deped.gov.ph