Sunday, May 20, 2007

parametric equations of conics?

I'm not sure if this will be on the test at all, but to add to everyone's conic charts, here are the parametric equations for all the conic sections:
Ellipse: x = a*cos(t), y=b*sin(t)
Hyperbola: x=a*sec(t) (or a/cos(t)), y=b*tan(t) (or the other way around if the vertices lie on the y-axis)
Parabola: x=t^2/4p, y=t

i hope this is actually helpful...
and speaking of parametrics, does anyone have an idea of the other main concepts that are likely to be on the test regarding parametrics other than the projectile motion equations or expressing parametrics in terms of x and y? (do we need to know about cycloids?)

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