A SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN IN PRE – CALCULUS

GRADE 11 – STEM
August 06, 07, 09, 2024

Learning Competency:
Illustrate the different types of conic sections: parabola, ellipse, circle, hyperbola, and
degenerate cases. (STEM_PC11AG-Ia-1)

I. Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. describe the parts of a parabola as parts of a conic section;
2. discuss physical models that use parabolas; and
3. familiarize themselves in solving for the equation of a parabola.

II. Subject Matter

Topic: Analytic Geometry
Lessons: Lesson 1: Definition of a parabola
Lesson 2: Derivation of the standard equation of a parabola
Lesson 3: Graphing parabolas
Lesson 4: Solving situational problems involving parabolas
Materials: Curriculum Guide, Learner’s Material, PowerPoint Presentation, Board,
Chalk,
Scientific Calculators

III. Procedure
A. Preliminary Activities
i. Prayer
ii. Checking of Attendance
iii. Classroom Conditioning

B. Motivation (Review)

Let’s explore!

You are now familiar with the four conic sections. Let us now explore its real life applications.
Can you identify some? Here’s an example.

 The Arch of Constantine, which was constructed between 312 and 315 AD, was
dedicated by the Senate to commemorate ten years of Constantine's reign (306–337) and
his victory over the then reigning emperor Maxentius (306–312) at the Battle of Milvian
Bridge on 28 October 312.

 The arch is an example of our third conic section which is the parabola.
Task:
 Identify at least three real life examples of conic sections. Give a short description for
each and include a photo of it. State what conic section it represents.

C. Lesson Proper

 ACTIVITY

 Parabola is the third type of conic section. It might sound familiar to you because it was
tackled during your Junior High School days.

 For this activity, you are tasked to give at least three examples of real-life applications
of parabolas and give a short description on how the concept of parabola is used.

 Make sure that your answers are different from the examples given in the module (page
7).

 ANALYSIS

- How did you find the activity?

- What are your observation/s for each given illustration?
- Why is it important to understand the concept of parabola?
- What do you think is the branch or field that often use parabola often used?

 ABSTRACTION

LESSON 1: DEFINITION OF A PARABOLA

 A parabola is formed by the intersection of a plane and a right circular cone.

  A parabola is the set of all points whose distance from a fixed point, called the focus, is
equal to the distance from a fixed line, called the diretrix. The point between the focus
and the diretrix is called the vertex of the parabola.

 Parabolas are frequently encountered as graphs of quadratic functions, including the very
common equation y=x 2.

 Parabolas are frequently used in physics and engineering for things such as the design of
automobile headlight reflectors and the paths of ballistic missiles.

Parabolic conic section: This

diagram shows hoe parabola is
generated by the intersection of a
plane with a right circular cone.
It also shows the y and x axes that
would be used to view the parabola on
a coordinate graph. The vertex of the

REAL WORLD PARABOLIC TRAJECTORIES

 Water fountain, parabolic antenna, liquid mirror telescope, and NASA’s Vomit Comet

 All parabolas have the same set of basic features.

 Axis of Symmetry

 The axis of symmetry is a line that is at the same angle as

the cone and divides the parabola in half.

 Vertex

 The vertex is the point where the plane intersects the exterior
surface of the cone. It forms the rounded end of the
parabola. The vertex is therefore also a point on the
cone, and the distance between that point and the
cone’s central axis is the radius of a circle.

 Focus
  In the diagram showing the parabolic conic section, a red line is drawn from the
center of that circle to the axis of symmetry, so that a right angle is formed. The
point on the axis of symmetry where the right angle is located is called the focus.
By doing this, a right triangle is created.

 Latus Rectum

 The latus rectum of the parabola is a line segment passing through its focus and
perpendicular to its axis. The length of the latus rectum of a parabola is always
equivalent to four times the distance of the focus from the vertex of the parabola.
 Directrix

 All parabolas have a directrix. The directrix is a straight line on the opposite side
of the parabolic curve from the focus. The parabolic curve itself is the set of all
points that are equidistant (equal distances) from both the directrix line and the
focus.

 On a coordinate plane, parabolas are frequently encountered as graphs of quadratic

functions, such as:
2
y=x

LESSON 2: DERIVATION OF THE STANDARD EQUATION OF A PARABOLA

 Let us consider a point P with coordinates (x, y) on the parabola. As per

the definition of a parabola, the distance of this point from the focus F
is equal to the distance of this point P from the Directrix.

 Here we consider a point B on the directrix, and the perpendicular

distance PB is taken for calculations.

 As per this definition of the eccentricity of the parabola, we have PF =

PB (Since e = PF/PB = 1)

 The coordinates of the focus is F(a,0) and we can use the

coordinate distance formula to find its distance from P(x, y)

PF = √ (x−a)2+( y−0)2
= √ (x−a)2+ y 2

 The equation of the directrix is x + a = 0

and we use the perpendicular distance
formula to find PB.

x+ a
PB =
√12 +0 2
 =√ (x +a)2

 We need to derive the equation of parabola using PF = PB

√(x−a)2+ y 2 =√ (x +a)2

 Squaring the equation on both sides,

(x - a)2 + y2 = (x + a)2
x2 + a2 - 2ax + y2 = x2 + a2 + 2ax
y2 - 2ax = 2ax
y2 = 4ax
 Now we have successfully derived the standard equation of a parabola.

 Similarly, we can derive the equations of the parabolas as:

(b): y2 = – 4ax,
(c): x2 = 4ay,
(d): x2 = – 4ay.

 The above four equations are the standard equations of parabolas.

 There are four standard equations of a parabola. The four standard

forms are based on the axis and the orientation of the parabola. The
transverse axis and the conjugate axis of each of these parabolas are
 different. The below image presents the four standard equations and
forms of the parabola.

 APPLICATION

Example 1
 Determine the focus and directrix of the parabola with the given equation. Sketch the
graph, and indicate the focus, directrix, vertex, and axis of symmetry.

1. x 2=12 y 2. x 2=−6 y

Solution (1):

 The vertex is V (0, 0) and the parabola opens upward.

 From 4c = 12, c = 3. The focus, c = 3 units above the vertex, is F(0, 3).

 The directrix, 3 units below the vertex, is y = - 3. The axis of symmetry is x = 0.

Solution (2):

 The vertex is V (0, 0) and the parabola opens downward.

3 3 3
 From 4c = 6, c = . The focus, c = units below the vertex, is F (0,- ¿.
2 2 2

3 3
 The directrix, units above the vertex, is y = . The axis of symmetry is x = 0.
2 2

Example 2
 Find the standard equation of the parabola with focus F(0, -3.5) and directrix y = 3.5.

Answer:
2
x =−14 y
Example 3
 Give the focus and directrix of the parabola with equation x 2 = 10y. Sketch the graph, and
indicate the focus, directrix, vertex, and axis of symmetry.

Answer:
5 5
focus:(0 , ) ; directrix: y= -
2 2
LESSON 3: GRAPHING A PARABOLA

More Properties of Parabolas

 The parabolas we considered so far are “vertical” and have their vertices at the origin.
Some parabolas open instead horizontally (to the left or right), and some have vertices
not at the origin. Their standard equations and properties are given in the box. The
corresponding computations are more involved, but are similar to the one above, and so
are not shown anymore.

 In all four cases below, we assume that c > 0. The vertex is V (h, k), and it lies between
the focus F and the directrix. The focus F is c units away from the vertex V , and the
directrix is c units away from the vertex. Recall that, for any point on the parabola, its
distance from the focus is the same as its distance from the directrix.
  The following observations are worth noting.

 The equations are in terms of x – h and y – k: the vertex coordinates are subtracted from
the corresponding variable. Thus, replacing both h and k with 0 would yield the case
where the vertex is the origin. For instance, this replacement applied to
( x−h )2=4 c( y−k ) (parabola opening upward) would yield x 2 = 4cy, the first standard
equation we encountered (parabola opening upward, vertex at the origin).

 If the x-part is squared, the parabola is “vertical”; if the y-part is squared, the parabola is
“horizontal.” In a horizontal parabola, the focus is on the left or right of the vertex, and
the directrix is vertical.

 If the coefficient of the linear (non-squared) part is positive, the parabola opens upward
or to the right; if negative, downward or to the left.

Notes: In finding the equation of a parabola, we just need to determine the vertex and the value
of c.

Example 4

 The figure shows the graph of parabola, with only its focus and vertex indicated. Find its
standard equation. What is its directrix and its axis of symmetry?

Solution:
  The vertex is V (5, -4) and the focus is F(3, -4).

 From these, we deduce the following: h = 5, k = -4, c = 2 (the distance of the focus from
the vertex).

 Since the parabola opens to the left, we use ( y−k )2=−4 c (x−h). Our equation is

( y + 4 )2=−8(x−5).

 Its directrix is c = 2 units to the right of V, which is x = 7. Its axis is the horizontal line
through V: y = -4.

 The standard equation ( y + 4 )2=−8(x−5) from the preceding example can be rewritten as
2
y + 8x + 8y – 24 = 0, an equation of the parabola in general form.

 If the equation is given in the general form A x 2 + Cx+ Dy +E =0 (A and C are nonzero)
or B y 2 + Cx + Dy + E =0 (B and C are nonzero), we can determine the standard form by
completing the square in both variables.

Example 5
 Determine the vertex, focus, directrix, and axis of symmetry of the parabola with the
given equation. Sketch the parabola, and include these points and lines.

(1) y 2 – 5x + 12y = – 16 (2) 5 x 2 + 30x + 24y = 51

Solution (1):
 We complete the square on y, and move x to the other side.
2
y + 12y = 5x – 16
2
y + 12y + 36 = 5x – 16 + 36 = 5x + 20
( y +6 )2= 5(x + 4)

 The parabola opens to the right. It has vertex V (-4, -6).

5
 From 4c = 5, we get c = = 1.25.
4
 The focus is c = 1.25 units to the right of V : F(-2.75, -6).

 The (vertical) directrix is c = 1.25 units to the left of V : x = -5.25.

  The (horizontal) axis is through V : y = -6.

Solution (2):

 We complete the square on x, and move y to the other side.

5 x 2 + 30x = - 24y + 51
5( x 2 + 6x + 9) = - 24y + 51 + 5(9)
5( x +3 ¿ ¿2= - 24y + 96 = - 24(y – 4)
24
¿=- (y – 4)
5

 In the last line, we divided 5 on the squared part to not have any coefficient.

 The parabola opens downward. It has vertex V (-3, 4).

24 6
 From 4c = , we get c = = 1.2.
5 5

 The focus is c = 1.2 units below V : F(-3, 2.8).

 The (horizontal) directrix is c = 1.2 units above V : y = 5.2. The (vertical) axis is through
V : x = -3.
Example 6

 A parabola has focus F(7, 9) and directrix y = 3. Find its standard equation.

Solution
 The directrix is horizontal, and the focus is above it. The parabola then opens upward and
its standard equation has the form ( x−h ¿ ¿2 = 4c(y – k).

 Since the distance from the focus to the directrix is 2c = 9 – 3 = 6, then c = 3. Thus, the
vertex is V (7, 6), the point 3 units below F.

 The standard equation is then ( x−7 ¿ ¿2 = 12(y – 6).

Example 7

 Determine the vertex, focus, directrix, and axis of symmetry of the parabola with
equation x 2 – 6x+ 5y = 34. Sketch the graph, and include these points and lines.

Solution

vertex (3, -5),

focus (3, -6.25),
directrix y = -3.75
axis x = 3

LESSON 4: SOLVING SITUATIONAL PROBLEMS INVOLVING PARABOLAS

 We now solve some situational problems involving parabolas.

Example 8
 A satellite dish has a shape called a paraboloid, where each cross-section is a parabola.
Since radio signals (parallel to the axis) will bounce o↵ the surface of the dish to the
 focus, the receiver should be placed at the focus. How far should the receiver be from the
vertex, if the dish is 12 ft across, and 4.5 ft deep at the vertex?

Solution

 The second figure above shows a cross-section of the satellite dish drawn on a
rectangular coordinate system, with the vertex at the origin. From the problem, we
deduce that (6, 4.5) is a point on the parabola. We need the distance of the focus from the
vertex, i.e., the value of c in x 2 = 4cy.

2
x = 4cy
2
(6) = 4c(4.5)
2
(6)
c= =2
4 ∙ 4.5

 Thus, the receiver should be 2 ft away from the vertex.

Example 9
 The cable of a suspension bridge hangs in the shape of a parabola. The towers supporting
the cable are 400 ft apart and 150 ft high. If the cable, at its lowest, is 30 ft above the
bridge at its midpoint, how high is the cable 50 ft away (horizontally) from either tower?
Solution

 Refer to the figure above, where the parabolic cable is drawn with its vertex on the y-axis
30 ft above the origin. We may write its equation as ( x−0 ¿ ¿2 = a(y – 30); since we don’t
need the focal distance, we use the simpler variable a in place of 4c. Since the towers are
150 ft high and 400 ft apart, we deduce from the figure that (200, 150) is a point on the
parabola.
2
x = a(y – 30)
2
200 = a(150 – 30)
2
200 1000
a= =
120 3

1000
 The parabola has equation x 2 = (y – 30), or equivalently, y = 0.003 x 2 + 30.
3
 For the two points on the parabola 50 ft away from the towers, x = 150 or x = -150. If x =
150, then

y = 0.003(1502) + 30 = 97.5.

 Thus, the cable is 97.5 ft high 50 ft away from either tower. (As expected, we get the
same answer from x = 150.)

IV. Evaluation

Answer the following. Show your solution.

A. Graph the parabola and identify the vertex, directrix, focus, and axis of symmetry.

1. y 2=16 x 2. y 2=−8 x
3. x 2=12 y 4. x 2+ 16 y=0

5. ( x−2)2=8 ( y−1) 6. ( x +1)2 =−8(+1)

7. ( y +3)2=12(x +1) 8. ( y +1)2=−8 x

V. Assignment

Write an equation in standard form for the parabola satisfying the given conditions and graph
each.

1. Focus: (7, 0); Directrix: 𝑥 = −7 2. Focus: (− 5, 0); Directrix: 𝑥 = 5