Question

How do you know which conic section you are graphing when it is written in general form?

Answer 1

A conic section in general form has the equation

`Ax^2 + Bx + Cy^2 + Dy + E = 0`

when either `A` or `C` is missing (i.e `A = 0` or `C = 0`), you're dealing with a parabola.

when `A` and `C` has the same signs, you're dealing with either an ellipse or a circle. If `A` and `C` have the same value, you're dealing with a circle. Otherwise, you're dealing with an ellipse

when `A` and `C` have different signs, you're dealing with a hyperbola