The locus of a variable point whose distance from the point (2, 0) is2...
Given that the distance of a variable point P(x, y) from the point (2, 0) is 2/3 times its distance from the line x = 9/2. We need to determine the locus of point P.
1. Equation of the line:
The equation of the line x = 9/2 is a vertical line passing through the point (9/2, y). Any point on this line will have an x-coordinate of 9/2.
2. Distance between the point and the line:
Let's consider a point P(x, y) on the line x = 9/2. The distance between P and the point (2, 0) can be calculated using the distance formula:
d1 = √[(x - 2)^2 + (y - 0)^2]
Similarly, the distance between P and the line x = 9/2 can be calculated as the absolute value of the difference between the x-coordinates of the two points:
d2 = |x - 9/2|
3. Relationship between the distances:
According to the given condition, the distance of P from (2, 0) is 2/3 times its distance from the line x = 9/2. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
d1 = (2/3) * d2
4. Substituting the values:
Substituting the expressions for d1 and d2 from step 2 into the equation from step 3, we get:
√[(x - 2)^2 + y^2] = (2/3) * |x - 9/2|
Squaring both sides of the equation to remove the square root, we obtain:
(x - 2)^2 + y^2 = (4/9) * (x - 9/2)^2
Expanding and simplifying the equation, we get:
9(x - 2)^2 + 9y^2 = 4(x - 9/2)^2
9x^2 - 36x + 36 + 9y^2 = 4x^2 - 72x + 324
Simplifying further, we have:
5x^2 - 36y^2 + 108x - 288 = 0
5x^2 - 36y^2 + 108x = 288
Dividing the equation by 288, we get the standard form of an ellipse:
(x^2/57.6) - (y^2/8) = 1
Therefore, the locus of the variable point P is an ellipse.
The locus of a variable point whose distance from the point (2, 0) is2...
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