The equation of the ellipse is in standard form:
x^2/a^2 + y^2/b^2 = 1
Where a is the length of the semi-major axis (major axis) and b is the length of the semi-minor axis (minor axis).
In this case, a = 50 yards (the square root of 2500) and b = 90 yards (the square root of 8100).
The major axis is twice the length of the semi-major axis, so the length of the major axis is 2a = 2*50 = 100 yards.
Therefore, the length of the major axis of the track is 100 yards.
Skip designs tracks for amusement park rides. For a new design, the track will be elliptical. If the ellipse is placed on a large coordinate grid with its center at (0, 0), the equation x^2/2500+y^2/8100=1
models the path of the track. The units are given in yards. How long is the major axis of the track? Explain how you found the distance.
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