Parabolic Dishes and The Ellipse Game

Today we discussed parabolas as conic sections in depth. In particular I emphasized how important it is to keep in mind the geometry of the parabola as you work with its equation.

Watch this! Tomorrow I'm going to ask you why parabolas are important in connection with satelite dishes, television and radio signals. ;-)

Tomorrow we will also review circles and begin our discussion of ellipses. Find out more about what an ellipse is and then you'll be ready to play The Ellipse Game:

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find a focus. You will be given an ellipse of random dimensions and you will have to try to click on one of the foci. Should you fail in this mission at first, you will be given some clues. We will deny any responsibility for holes or other damage caused should you decide stick pins into a drawing board or any other item of household equipment.

Ready? Let's play!