Parabola

Objectives:
1. define a parabola
2. determine the standard equation of a
parabola
3. graph a parabola in a rectangular coordinate
system

Parabola
A parabola is the set of
all points in a plane
equidistant from a fixed
point F and a fixed line L
not containing L.

The focus is the fixed point

(based on the definition)
while the line L is called the
directrix. The line passing
through the focus and
perpendicular to line L is
called the axis of
symmetry.

The distance from the vertex

too the focus (or the directrix)
is called the focal distance.
The latus rectum of a
parabola is the line segment
connecting two points of the
parabola , perpendicular to
the axis of symmetry and
passing through the focus.

Equations of a Parabola
Standard Form of the Equation of a Parabola
with Vertex at the Origin
Focus

Equation

Parabola
Opens
to the right
to the left
upward
downward

Equations of a Parabola
Standard Form of the Equation of a Parabola
with Vertex at
Parabola
opens

upward
downwar
d
to the
right

Equation

Focus

Directrix

Equations of a Parabola
General Form
Axis
Equation
Vertical
, where
Horizon
, where
tal
The general form of the equation of a parabola
with horizontal or vertical axis of symmetry is

Examples
1. Write an equation of the parabola with vertical axis
of symmetry, vertex at point (2, 3), and passing
through the point (4, 5).
2. Find the vertex, focus and directrix of the parabola
whose equation is .
3. Find an equation of the parabola with horizontal
axis and which contains the points (2, 0), (0, -1),
and (0, 7). Find the vertex, focal distance, focus
and directrix.

Examples
4. Water issuing from the end of a horizontal pipe
6 meters (m) above the ground, forms a
parabolic curve, the vertex being at the end of
the pipe. At a point 2 m below the line of the
pipe, the flow of the water has curved outward
3 m beyond the vertical line through the end of
the pipe. How far beyond this vertical line will
the water strike the ground?

Find the (a) focal distance, coordinates of the (b)

vertex, (c) focus, (d) endpoints of the latus rectum,
(e) equation of the axis of symmetry, and (f) directrix.
Then, sketch the graph.

Find an equation of the parabola(s) having the given

conditions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Focus at , directrix at
Vertex at , focus at
Vertex at , axis vertical, passes through
Axis vertical, crosses the y-axis at and x-intercepts are and
Vertex on , focus on , directrix at
Opens to right, length of the latus rectum is 12, passing
through , and vertex on the line

Solve the following problems.

3.

4.

Water flowing from a suspended garden hose to the ground

follows a parabolic path, with the hoses opening as the vertex.
Suppose this opening is 15 feet high and that the water strikes
the ground a horizontal distance of 7 feet from where the

opening is located. At what height is the horizontal distance of

the water foot from the opening.
A parabolic arch has a height of 24 meters and a width of 32
meters at the base. If the vertex of the parabola is at the top of
the arch, at which height above the base is it 16 meters wide?

Reference:
Precalculus, Cabral, Emmanuel A., et. al.,
Ateneo de Manila University Press.