CoreParametric
Parametric Ellipse
x = a·cos t, y = b·sin t
Overview
An ellipse uses different scaling factors a and b for the x and y coordinates.
Domain
t ∈ [0, 2π]
Range
x ∈ [-a, a], y ∈ [-b, b]
Key Properties
1
a = semi-major axis (x-direction)
2
b = semi-minor axis (y-direction)
3
Period: 2π
4
When a = b, you get a circle
Key Insight
This parametric form makes it easy to trace the ellipse as t goes from 0 to 2π.
Visualize Parametric Ellipse
Interact with the graph and explore this curve in the analytic geometry visualizer.