Introduction to Conics, Geometrically

David Altizio

May 21, 2022

Conics are beautiful. Here’s why.

1 Introduction
Conics are a staple of Algebra II and Precalculus curricula in the United States, but their treat-
ments in these courses are somewhat limited. Conics are defined as the graphs of degree-two
curves, and the focus1 of conic sections lies in purely analytic properties and manipulations.
However, there is another perspective to conics that is less practical but way more elegant: the
synthetic treatment. Instead of defining conics on the coordinate plane, we can define conics
in “geometric” ways. While general conics do not have nearly the same potential as circles in
general, they still allow for a surprising amount of depth that is worth exploring.
One small thing: this handout will not explore conics from a projective viewpoint; there are
already a few resources on this topic (mainly in the context of homography or moving points).
Instead, we will focus on a purely synthetic treatment of conic sections.

2 Parabolas
2.1 Definitions and Basic Properties
The first conic section we’ll cover is arguably the simplest: the parabola.

Definition 2.1. A parabola P is the locus of points X which have equal distances to some
fixed point F (called the focus of P ) and some fixed line ` (called the directrix of P ).

X
F

`
P

If you haven’t seen this definition, it may not be clear that it produces the same curve as the
standard y = ax2 + bx + c definition. Let’s quickly verify this before moving on.

1 pun intended

1
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 2

Proposition 2.1. The parabola with equation x2 = 4py has focus (0, p) and directrix y =
−p.

Proof. Remark that x2 = 4py if and only if

x2 + (y − p)2 = x2 + y 2 − 2yp + p2
= 4py + y 2 − 2yp + p2
= y 2 + 2yp + p2 = (y + p)2 ;

that is, the distance from (0, p) to (x, y) equals y + p. The result follows.

At first glance, it may not be clear how Definition 2.1 allows us to do nontrivial geometry
with parabolas. This sentiment is correct, to a degree: parabolas simply don’t have the same
versatility that circles do. (After all, circles give us uncountably many isosceles triangles for
free!)
However, perhaps surprisingly, tangent lines become much more prominent when dis-
cussing parabolas (and conics in general). This all starts with the following simple theorem.

Theorem 2.1. Using the notation of Definition 2.1, let m denote the tangent to P at the
point X. Then m bisects ∠FXP .

Proof. Suppose the bisector m of ∠FXP is not tangent to P ; that is, it intersects P again at
Y , X. Let Q be the projection of Y onto `. Then FY = Y Q by the definition of a parabola
while FY = Y P since 4FY X  4P Y X. But then P Y = Y Q, which is absurd. Therefore m is
tangent to P .

X
F

`
Q P

From this, we get an easy corollary.

Corollary 2.1. The reflection of the focus F over the tangent line m lies on the directrix
of P .

These two results are surprisingly useful, because now we do get isosceles triangles for
free! They also suggest a general phenomenon when dealing with parabolas: when in doubt,
project everything onto the directrix. We illustrate this with a few examples.

Proposition 2.2. Let P be a parabola with focus F. Fix two points P and Q on P , and
suppose the tangents to P at P and Q intersect at a point R. Further, let X and Y be the
projections of P and Q onto the directrix of P . Then RX = RY .
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 3

Proof. Dentote by `P and `Q the tangent lines to P at P and Q. Corollary 2.1 implies that `P
is the perpendicular bisector of FX, and analogously `Q is the perpendicular bisector of FY .
This means that R, the intersection point of lines `P and `Q , is the circumcenter of 4FXY . The
result follows.

2.2 An Important Configuration

Consider the following scenario, where the pairwise intersection points of three distinct tan-
gents to a parabola P form a triangle ABC. We wish to find interesting relationships between
P and 4ABC.

P
R

F
Q
B
C

Introduce the directrix ` into the picture. The three lines bounding 4ABC are each tangents
to the parabola P ; hence, by applying Corollary 2.1, we know that the reflection of F about
each of these tangent lines lies on `. Now considering the homothety H centered at F with
scale factor 12 tells us that the projections of F onto each of these tangent lines are collinear.

Q
B

C
`

But this implies that the dashed line above is the Simson line of F with respect to 4ABC,
giving us the first of two surprising results.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 4

Theorem 2.2. The focus F of P lies on the circumcircle of 4ABC.

P
R

F
Q
B
C

To obtain the second result, recall the following lemma, whose proof can be found in the
literature (e.g. page 59 of [2])

Proposition 2.3. Let H be the orthocenter of a triangle ABC, and let P be any point on
the circumcircle (ABC). Then the Simson line of P with respect to 4ABC bisects the
segment P H.

Now using this proposition and “undoing” the homothety from before leaves us with the
following incredible theorem.

Theorem 2.3. The orthocenter H of 4ABC lies on the directrix of P .

P
R

F
Q
B
H C
`

There are many other theorems that showcase geometric relationships between a parabola
and its tangent lines; some of these are deferred to the problems at the end of this handout.

3 Ellipses
The next conic section to discuss is the ellipse. Ellipses are slightly more complicated struc-
tures to deal with, since they have two foci instead of one. However, this extra structure leads
to new properties that make them stand apart from parabolas.
As usual, we start with the definition.

Definition 3.1. An ellipse E is the locus of points P in the plane such that the sum of the
distances from P to two fixed points F1 and F2 (called the foci of E) is a constant.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 5

As with parabolas, there is a simple coordinate representation for ellipses. We record it

here for completeness.

Theorem 3.1. Let E be an ellipse with foci (c, 0) and (−c, 0). Suppose the sum of the
distances from a point (x, y) on E to the foci is some real number a > c. Then E is given by
the equation
x2 y2
+ = 1. (1)
a2 a2 − c2
x2 y2
In particular, letting b2 B a2 − c2 , (1) takes the simple form a2
+ b2 = 1.

Proof. Brute-force computation. The details are neither enlightening nor important for our
purposes, so we omit them.

Unlike parabolas, ellipses have two foci. Several interesting theorems result by considering
the interaction between these two points.
There is a version of Theorem 2.1 that holds for ellipses as well. In order to prove this, we
will need the following lemma.

Lemma 3.1. Let ` be the tangent to the ellipse at a point P . Then the point P 0 on ` which
minimizes the sum P 0 F1 + P 0 F2 is precisely P .

Proof. Let P 0 , P be an arbitrary point on `. Without loss of generality, suppose P 0 is to the

right of P , as shown below. Let Q = P 0 F2 ∩ E. Then

F1 P 0 + P 0 F2 = F1 Q + (QP 0 + P 0 F2 ) > F1 Q + QF2 = F1 P + P F2 ,

contradicting minimality.

P
P0
`
Q

F2 F1

Remark 1. The proof of Lemma 3.1 does implicitly assume that line ` lies completely
outside E – that is, the ellipse E is convex. This is not so hard to prove (with e.g. calculus),
but it is not in the spirit of this handout, so we defer its proof to the interested reader.

Lemma 3.1 is the workhorse for the next theorem. Indeed, this lemma gives us one way to
characterize the point on ` minimizing the sum P F1 + P F2 ; to find another way, we need to
look to mathematical folklore.

Theorem 3.2. Let ` denote the tangent to an ellipse E at a point P . Then the acute angles
made by F1 P and F2 P with respect to ` are equal.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 6

P
`

F2 F1

Proof. Let F10 denote the reflection of F1 about ` as shown. Note that for any point Q ∈ `,

F1 Q + F2 Q = F1 Q + QF10 ≥ F1 F10 ,

with equality when F, Q, and F 0 are collinear. But recall by the lemma that the point on `
which minimizes the sum of the distances to F1 and F2 is P . Hence P = Q, so F10 , P , and F2 are
collinear. The result follows by vertical angles.

F10

P
`

F2 F1

The Reflection Property showcases one way to obtain equal angles from tangents to an
ellipse. The next result gives us another way.

Theorem 3.3 (Isogonal Property of Ellipses). Let XP and XQ be tangents to the ellipse E.
Then ∠F1 XP = ∠F2 XQ.

F2 F1

Proof. Let F10 denote the reflection of F1 about XP , and let F20 denote the reflection of F2 about
XQ.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 7

F10
P

F20 Q

F2 F1

Observe that F1 X = F10 X and F2 X = F20 X. Furthermore,

F2 F10 = F2 P + P F1 = F2 Q + QF1 = F1 F20 .

Therefore triangles F1 XF20 and F10 XF2 are congruent, implying ∠F20 XF1 = ∠F10 XF2 . The result
follows.

From this, we get an interesting corollary.

Corollary 3.1. Let F1 and F2 be the foci of an ellipse tangent to the sides of a triangle T .
Then F1 and F2 are isogonal conjugates with respect to T .

Proof. Apply Theorem 3.3 to each of the vertices of T .

It turns out the opposite is true, too: for any pair of isogonal conjugates {P , Q} with respect
to a triangle T , there exists an ellipse with foci P and Q tangent to the sides of T . (Think
about it!)
Finally, to close this section, we present a problem from a recent Taiwan TST. Even though
this last problem does not really use ellipses, I would be remiss to include it.

Example 3.1 (Taiwan TST 2019, Evan Chen). Let 4ABC be a triangle. Denote its incenter
and orthocenter by I and H, respectively. Suppose K is a point in the plane of ABC with

AH + AK = BH + BK = CH + CK.

Show that H, I, and K are collinear.

Proof. The following solution is due to Telv Cohl.

Let ΩA be the circle with center A passing through H, and define ΩB and ΩC analogously.
The given sum condition implies there is a circle Γ with center K that is tangent to ΩA , ΩB ,
and ΩC internally.
Consider the inversion Φ with center H that fixes (ABC). Remark that circles ΩB , ΩC , and
Ω intersect at HA , the reflection of H about BC. Intersection points HB and HC exist similarly.
Then Φ sends HA to the second intersection point of HHA with (ABC); that is, Φ sends HA
to A. Analogously, Φ sends HB to B and HC to C.
Thus Φ sends the circle ΩA to the line BC, with similar results for the other two circles.
But this implies Γ , being tangent to each of ΩA , ΩB , and ΩC , is sent to the incircle of 4ABC,
which has center I. It follows that H, I, and K are collinear.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 8

4 Hyperbolas
The final conic section to discuss is the hyperbola. It turns out that hyperbolas and ellipses
share many properties, since the synthetic definitions of ellipses and hyperbolas are similar.
As a result, we will omit certain proofs if the proof sketches are essentially identical to those
in the ellipse case. However, at the end of this section we will briefly touch on some properties
of hyperbolas which make them interesting in their own right.

Definition 4.1. A hyperbola H is the locus of points P in the plane such that the positive
difference |P F1 − P F2 | bewteen the distance to two fixed points F1 and F2 (called the foci
of H) is a constant.

The absolute value bars are important for configuration issues, since H has two branches.
On one branch, the difference P F1 − P F2 is positive; on the other, the difference P F2 − P F1 is
positive.
Both ellipses and parabolas have reflection properties. Unsurprisingly, the hyperbola does,
too.

Theorem 4.1 (Reflection Property for Hyperbolas). Let H be a hyperbola with foci F1 and
F2 , and let P be a point on H. Then the tangent to H at P bisects ∠F1 P F2 .

Proof. The proof is kind of a hybrid between the proofs for the other two conic sections. Sup-
pose without loss of generality that P F2 > P F1 . Let ` be the angle bisector of ∠F1 P F2 , and
suppose ` intersects the same branch of H at a point Q , P . (See the figure below, which is not
drawn to scale.) Let F10 be the reflection of F1 about `; then F10 lies on P F2 and 4P F1 Q  4P F10 Q.
As a result,
F2 Q − F1 Q = F2 Q − F10 Q > F2 F10 = F2 P − F1 P ,
where the second step follows from the Triangle Inequality. This is a contradiction, since Q
lies on H.

P
F10

F1 F2
Q

It turns out, again unsurprisingly, that the hyperbola also has an isogonal property. Due to
configuration issues, it is a bit more clumsy to state and prove, but the idea is still the same.

Theorem 4.2 (Isogonal Property for Hyperbolas). Define H, F1 , and F2 as usual. Suppose
X and Y are two points on H, and let the tangents to H at X and Y meet at P . Then lines
P X and P Y are isogonal with respect to ∠F1 P F2 .
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 9

At this point, one might wonder what hyperbolas can offer that ellipses cannot. The answer
lies in a very subtle – yet extremely potent – difference in the coordinate representations
between the two conics. Recall Theorem 3.1, which states that the equation for the ellipse has
a nice form. The equation for the hyperbola is eerily similar.

Theorem 4.3. For any real numbers a and b, the equation

x2 y 2
− =1
a2 b 2
defines a hyperbola centered at the origin with foci on the x-axis. Conversely, any such
hyperbola has an equation of this form.

Proof. Analogous to the proof of Theorem 3.1 (which we also omitted, oops...).

The slight change from a plus sign into a minus sign makes a huge difference in the shape
of the graph, because hyperbolas are not bounded. In particular, as |x| gets large, we have
2
2 x
y 2 b ( a2 − 1) b2
= → ;
x2 x2 a2
that is, the points (x, y) approach two lines passing through the origin with slopes ± ba . These
two lines are special enough to warrant names.

Definition 4.2. These two lines are called the asymptotes of H.

In particular, one class of hyperbolas is quite special.

Definition 4.3. A hyperbola is said to be rectangular (or equilateral) if its asymptotes

are perpendicular.

Why are rectangular hyperbolas so special? Most of the theory of rectangular hyperbolas
comes down to the following magical theorem. Unfortunately, this theorem is too hard to
prove in this handout – the simplest way to prove this uses projective geometry. (More on this
in the remark to follow.)

Theorem 4.4. Suppose A, B, and C are three points on a hyperbola H, and let H be the
orthocenter of 4ABC. Then H lies on H if and only if H is rectangular.

H
H

B C
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 10

Remark 2. Our good friend H returns! This is the second theorem in this handout which
notes a surprising property of the orthocenter; the first was Theorem 2.3. This is no
coincidence – these two theorems are actually equivalent! More specifically, taking the
pole-polar dual of Theorem 2.3 with respect to a circle centered at H yields the result
above. (Try to see why! You’ll need the fact that a line tangent to a conic transforms into
a point passing through the conic under the pole-polar dual.)
This might shed some light as to why we haven’t talked about hyperbolas much here
– most of the important facts about hyperbolas are only accessible through projective
geometry. In projective geometry, we add a so-called point at infinity in the direction
of each line ` in the Euclidean plane. This means, for example, that any two parallel
lines actually intersect at a corresponding point at infinity. Another example of this
phenomenon is that a hyperbola passes through the points at infinity in the direction of its
asymptotes. This allows us to treat the asymptotes as actual “points” on the hyperbola,
which helps us come to terms with how the asymptotes behave.

5 Problems
Some of these problems require nothing more than the basic definitions, while some require
a bit more theory. Which problems are which? You’ll find out soon :)
1. Let P be a parabola with focus F and directrix `. A line through F intersects P at points
A and B and the directrix at point C. If AF = 3 and FB = 2, compute BC.
2. Let E be an ellipse with foci F1 and F2 . Point P lies outside E. The two tangents to E
through P intersect the ellipse at points X and Y , respectively. Prove that F1 P bisects
∠XF1 Y .
3. (AMC 12A 2011) A segment through the focus F of a parabola with vertex V is perpen-
dicular to FV and intersects the parabola in points A and B. What is cos(∠AV B)?
2
4. (Carnegie Mellon 2021, Sam Delatore) Let f (x) = x8 . Starting at the point (7, 3), what is
the length of the shortest path that touches the graph of f and then touches the x-axis?
5. (San Diego 2020-2021) Let ABC be an acute, scalene triangle, and let P be an arbitrary
point in its interior. Let PA be the parabola with focus P and directrix BC, and define PB
and PC similarly. Suppose PB and PC intersect at two points; let `A be the line passing
through these two points. Define `B and `C similarly (under the same assumption).
Show that `A , `B , and `C concur.
6. (Romania TST 2015) Let ABC and ABD be coplanar triangles with equal perimeters.
The internal angle bisectors of ∠CAD and ∠CBD meet at P . Show that ∠AP C = ∠BP D.
7. (Mandelbrot 2013-2014) Suppose an ellipse and a hyperbola have the same points F1
and F2 as foci. These curves cross at four points; let P be one of them. These curves
also intersect line F1 F2 at four points Q, R, S and T in this order. Given that RS = 20,
ST = 14, and 4P F1 F2 is isosceles, find the area of 4P F1 F2 .
8. (IMC 2008) Two different ellipses are given. One focus of the first ellipse coincides
with one focus of the second ellipse. Prove that the ellipses have at most two points in
common.
9. (Besant) Let P be a parabola with vertex V and focus F. Fix a point P on P . Suppose the
tangent to P intersects FV at T , while N is the foot of the altitude from P to AV . Prove
that V is the midpoint of N T .
10. (Carnegie Mellon 2020, Own) Let E be an ellipse with foci F1 and F2 . Parabola P , having
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 11

vertex F1 and focus F2 , intersects E at two points X and Y . Suppose the tangents to E at
X and Y intersect on the directrix of P . Compute the eccentricity of E.
11. (AIME 1985) An ellipse has foci at (9, 20) and (49, 55) in the xy-plane and is tangent to
the x-axis. What is the length of its major axis?
12. (AMC 12A 2021, Own) Suppose that on a parabola with vertex V and focus F there
exists a point A such that AF = 20 and AV = 21. What is the sum of all possible values
of the length FV ?
13. (Berkeley 2013) A parabola has focus F and vertex V , where V F = 10. Let AB be a chord
of length 100 that passes through F. Determine the area of 4V AB.
14. ([3]) Let E be an ellipse with center O, and P a point outside of E. Prove that the locus
of points P for which the tangents from P to the ellipse are perpendicular is a circle
centered at O.
15. (Tovi Wen) Let E be an ellipse with a major axis of length 10. Circle ω with center O
is tangent to E at P . The line OP intersects the major and minor axes of E at X and Y ,
respectively. Suppose that P X = 4 and P Y = 6. Find the distance between the foci of E.
16. (Mandelbrot 2005-2006) Triangle ABC is situated within an ellipse whose major and
minor axes have lengths 10 and 8. Point A is located at one focus, point B is located at
an endpoint of the minor axis, and point C is located on the ellipse so that the other
focus lies on BC. Determine the inradius of 4ABC.
17. (AIME 2022, Michael Tang) Let a, b, x, and y be real numbers with a > 4 and b > 1 such
that
x2 y2 (x − 20)2 (y − 11)2
+ = + = 1.
a2 a2 − 16 b2 − 1 b2
Find the least possible value of a + b.
18. (KöMaL A.599, November 2013) Two parabolas, P1 and P2 , have the same focus. The
directrix of P1 meets P2 at points A and B. The directrix of P2 meets P1 at C and D. Show
that the points A, B, C, and D are concyclic.
19. (Carnegie Mellon 2017, with Evan Chen) In triangle ABC with AB = 23, AC = 27, and
BC = 20, let D be the foot of the A altitude. Let P be the parabola with focus A passing
through B and C, and denote by T the intersection point of AD with the directrix of P .
Determine the value of DT 2 − DA2 .
20. (Ray Li) The point (10, 26) is a focus of a non-degenerate ellipse tangent to the positive
x and y axes. What is the line that the locus of the center of ellipse lies on?
21. Let H be a rectangular hyperbola passing through the vertices of a triangle T . Prove
that the center of H (that is, the intersection of the asymptotes) lies on the nine-point
circle of T .
22. (ADMC Round 2, Evan Chang) Two circles with radius 2 centered at points A and B are
externally tangent. An ellipse Γ , tangent to both circles, has foci A and B. Points G and
H lie on Γ with AH < AG such that G, B, and H are collinear. The tangents to Γ at G and
H intersect at P , and AP intersects the angle bisector of ∠AHB at Q. If the line through
Q perpendicular to line GH is tangent to the circle centered at B, then find GH.
23. (AoPS) A circle passes through the points (2, 0) and (18, 0) and is tangent to the parabola
whose equation is y = x2 . What are the coordinates of the center of the circle?
24. ([1]) Let P be a parabola with focus F. Let A and B be points on P , and suppose the
tangents to P at A and B meet at a point P . Denote by O the circumcenter of 4P AB.
Introduction to Conics David Altizio Page 12

Prove that P F ⊥ FO.

25. (Based on Tournament of Towns 2008)2 Let ω1 and ω2 be two disjoint circles, one lying
outside of the other. Consider all lines that cut off from the circles two chords of equal
lengths. Prove that all such lines are tangent to a fixed parabola.
26. (Ankan Bhattacharya) Let ABCD be a quadrilateral. Suppose there exist a parabola Γa
with focus A tangent to lines BC, BD, and CD, and a parabola Γc with focus C tangent
to lines AB, AD, and BD.
Let X and Y be the tangency points of Γa and Γc respectively with BD. Prove that BX =
DY .
27. (Carnegie Mellon 2018, Gunmay Handa) Suppose E1 , E2 are two intersecting ellipses
with a common focus X; let the common external tangents of E1 and E2 intersect at a
point Y . Further suppose that X1 and X2 are the other foci of E1 and E2 , respectively,
such that X1 ∈ E2 and X2 ∈ E1 . If X1 X2 = 8, XX2 = 7, and XX1 = 9, what is XY 2 ?

References
[1] Conic Sections: Treated Geometrically, by W.H. Besant, 9th ed., George Bell and Sons, 1895.
[2] Euclidean Geometry in Mathematical Olympiads, by Evan Chen, 1st ed., Mathematical As-
sociation of America, 2016.
[3] Geometry of Conics, by A. V. Akopyan and A. A. Zaslavsky, American Mathematical Soci-
ety, 2007.

2 The Tournament of Towns problem gives a bit of a spoiler for this one. Feel free to find that problem if you
need a hint.