What is the standard form of the equation of an ellipse with foci at (0, 6) and (0, -6) and vertices at (0, 8) and (0, -8)?

To find the standard form of the equation of the ellipse, we start by identifying the details provided:

  • Foci: (0, 6) and (0, -6)
  • Vertices: (0, 8) and (0, -8)

The general standard form of the equation of an ellipse centered at the origin with a vertical major axis is:

\(\frac{x^2}{b^2} + \frac{y^2}{a^2} = 1\

where:

  • \(a\) is the distance from the center to a vertex,
  • \(b\) is the distance from the center to the co-vertices,
  • The distance between the center and each focus is denoted as \(c\), which can be found using the relation \(c^2 = a^2 – b^2\).

In this case, we can determine:

  • The vertices indicate that \(a = 8\).
  • The foci indicate that \(c = 6\).

Using the relationship \(c^2 = a^2 – b^2\), we can substitute our values:

\(c^2 = 6^2 = 36\)

\(a^2 = 8^2 = 64\)

Now, substitute into the relationship:

\(36 = 64 – b^2\

Solving for \(b^2\):

\(b^2 = 64 – 36 = 28\

Now we have:

  • \(a^2 = 64\
  • \(b^2 = 28\

Finally, we can write the equation of the ellipse in standard form as:

\(\frac{x^2}{28} + \frac{y^2}{64} = 1\

This is the standard form of the equation of the ellipse with the given characteristics.

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