Tangents to an Ellipse
Tangents to an Ellipse
In this activity, you will explore the properties of tangents to an ellipse using an interactive construction:
- Ellipse and Foci: Two points, F1 and F2, define the foci of the ellipse, and a slider sets the semi-major axis
a
. - Draggable Point (P): A point
P
lies on the ellipse and can be dragged along its curve. - Tangent Line at P: The tangent line at
P
updates dynamically asP
moves. - Drag Test with Point Q:
- You can drag a free point
Q
. - The activity checks whether
Q
lies on the tangent atP
.
- You can drag a free point
- Explore: Drag
P
to see the tangent move and experiment with placingQ
to understand how points relate to the tangent line.