What are the vertices, foci, and asymptotes of the hyperbola described by the equation 16x² – 4y² = 64?

Understanding the Hyperbola

The equation of the hyperbola is given as:

16x² – 4y² = 64

To analyze this hyperbola, we first need to rewrite it in standard form. Dividing the entire equation by 64 gives us:

\( \frac{x²}{4} – \frac{y²}{16} = 1 \)

Identifying the Standard Form

The standard form of a hyperbola centered at the origin is:

\( \frac{x²}{a²} – \frac{y²}{b²} = 1 \)

From the rewritten equation, we can see that:

  • a² = 4 (therefore, a = 2)
  • b² = 16 (therefore, b = 4)

Vertices

The vertices of a hyperbola in this form are located at \((\pm a, 0)\). Thus, the vertices for our hyperbola are:

  • (2, 0)
  • (-2, 0)

Foci

The foci of a hyperbola are determined using the formula:

\( c = \sqrt{a² + b²} \)

Calculating:

  • a² = 4
  • b² = 16
  • c = \sqrt{4 + 16} = \sqrt{20} = 2\sqrt{5}

Therefore, the foci are located at:

  • (2\sqrt{5}, 0)
  • (-2\sqrt{5}, 0)

Asymptotes

The equations of the asymptotes for a hyperbola in this form are given by:

y = \pm \frac{b}{a} x

Substituting our values of a and b, we find:

y = \pm \frac{4}{2} x

This simplifies to:

y = \pm 2x

Thus, the equations of the asymptotes are:

  • y = 2x
  • y = -2x

Conclusion

In summary, for the hyperbola given by the equation 16x² – 4y² = 64:

  • Vertices: (2, 0) and (-2, 0)
  • Foci: (2\sqrt{5}, 0) and (-2\sqrt{5}, 0)
  • Asymptotes: y = 2x and y = -2x

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