Ellipses
Main Parts of an Ellipse |
Key Concepts
How to Draw an Ellipse - Circle Method
1 - Draw a circle with a diameter equal to the major axis and a circle with a diameter equal to the minor axis using the same centre
2 - Divide the circles into 12 slices using your 30 deg set square 3 - Draw a vertical line down from each point where the lines meet the outer circle and draw a horizontal line across where the lines meet the smaller circle. Mark out the points where the horizontal and vertical lines meet. 4 - Use these points to freehand sketch the ellipse
|
|
How to Draw a Tangent to an Ellipse at a Point, p
1 - Locate the 2 focal points, F1 & F2
2 - Draw a line from each focal point to P 3 - Bisect the angle F1-P-F2, this gives you the normal to the tangent
4 - Place your compass at P and mark out two points on the normal that are the same distance from P
5 - Bisect the normal between these points to give you a line perpendicular to the normal, this is the tangent at P. |
Doing a Question with an Ellipse
Past Exam Questions
Worksheet with Past Exam Questions (A3)