Ellipse

Use the slider to change the value of a and b. Observe how the ellipse changes. Grab point A and drag it around the ellipse. Observe how the distances to F1 and F2 changes. Then answer the questions on the bottom of the screen.

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1. How does a effect the equation? How does it change the ellipse?
2. How does b effect the equation? How does it change the ellipse?
3. What is the relationship between a and b and the x and y intercepts?

Tony Riehl, Created with GeoGebra