Question

The figure shows the elliptical orbit of Mars, where each unit of the coordinate plane represents 1 million kilometers. As shown, the planet's maximum distance from the sun is 249 million kilometers and its minimum distance from the Sun is 207 million kilometers. The Sun is at one focus of the ellipse and the center of the ellipse is at (0, 0). The coordinates of the Sun are (?, 0). (Hint: Find the x-coordinate of the Sun.)

Answer 1

Given:
The planet's maximum distance is 249 (million kilometers).
The planet's minimum distance is 207 (million kilometers).

The sum of these two distances equals the length of the major axis. Dividing by 2 will find the vertices. To find the "x coordinate" of the Sun, subtract. (Note: since the x-coordinate is on the negative side of the x-axis, the answer for this question will be negative).