Answer: x2/a2 - y2/b2 = 1.
- A x2/a2 + y2/b2 = 1
- B x2/a2 - y2/b2 = 1
- C y2/a2 - x2/b2 = 1
- D y2 = 4ax
Correct answer: B. x2/a2 - y2/b2 = 1
Explanation: x2/a2 - y2/b2 = 1 is the standard hyperbola equation with the transverse axis along the x-axis.
All four conics form a single family distinguished only by eccentricity: a circle is the most "closed" (e=0), an ellipse is an elongated closed curve, a parabola is the borderline open curve (e=1), and a hyperbola has two separate open branches (e>1).
Concept context
Study circles, parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas as curves formed by intersecting a plane with a double cone, with their standard equations and key properties.