Ellipses with Center (0,0)

There are two kinds of ellipses with center (0, 0). They are the horizontal kind and the vertical kind.

Every ellipse has a major axis and a minor axis. They are like the dimensions of the ellipse. The major axis is the length of the ellipse, and the minor axis is the width, which means the major axis is always longer than the minor axis.

We could make a variable called A referring to the largest x value of any point on an ellipse. That is basically the x value of the rightmost point on the graph. Another variable, B, could be the y value of the highest point on the graph.

The equation of an ellipse is $$\frac{x^2}{A^2} + \frac{y^2}{B^2} = 1.$$

One last thing - the points at the tips of the ellipse are called vertices. Well, the ones at the tips of the major axis are. The ones at the tips of the minor axis are called co-vertices.

Good job. Ellipses are fun!