Activities
Conic sections - eccentricity,
focus, directrix - Winlab software
Winlab
is free and can be downloaded from Peanut
Software.
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Select Window/Conics/New/Directrix-Focus.
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You enter the focus, directrix and the
eccentricity and the conic section is drawn.
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Select Information
to read the equation.
What is the effect on the parabola and
its equation of increasing the distance between the focus and the directrix?
Keep the focus and directrix fixed.
Vary the value of the eccentricity. What happens to the curve and its equation?