Equation of Confocal Conics
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Theorem
Formulation 1
The equation:
- $\dfrac {x^2} {a^2 + \lambda} + \dfrac {y^2} {b^2 + \lambda} = 1$
where:
- $\tuple {x, y}$ denotes an arbitrary point in the cartesian plane
- $a$ and $b$ are real constants such that $a^2 > b^2$
- $\lambda$ is a real parameter such that $a^2 > -\lambda$
defines the set of all confocal conics whose foci are at $\tuple {\pm \sqrt {a^2 - b^2}, 0}$.
Formulation 2
The equation:
- $(1): \quad \dfrac {x^2} {a^2} + \dfrac {y^2} {a^2 - c^2} = 1$
where:
- $\tuple {x, y}$ denotes an arbitrary point in the cartesian plane
- $c$ is a (strictly) positive constant
- $a$ is a (strictly) positive parameter
defines the set of all confocal conics whose foci are at $\tuple {\pm c, 0}$.