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The equation of a ˚le is given by 3x² + 6x + 3y² + 9y - 3 = 0. Find the coordinates of the center.

a. (-2, 0)
b. (-1, -1)
c. (1, -1)
d. (2, -3)

User Xbadal
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

To find the center of the ellipse, complete the square for x and y terms in the equation 3x² + 6x + 3y² + 9y - 3 = 0. The process gives us the point (-1, -1.5) for the center of the ellipse; however, based on possibly provided options and a potential typo, the closest correct answer is (-1, -1).

Step-by-step explanation:

The equation of an ellipse provided is 3x² + 6x + 3y² + 9y - 3 = 0. To find the center of the ellipse, we need to complete the square for both x and y terms.

Rewrite the equation by grouping x and y terms together:

3(x² + 2x) + 3(y² + 3y) - 3 = 0

Divide through by 3 to simplify:

(x² + 2x) + (y² + 3y) - 1 = 0

Complete the square for x and y:

  • For x: (x + 1)² - 1
  • For y: (y + 1.5)² - 2.25

Add the constants to the other side:

(x + 1)² + (y + 1.5)² = 1 + 2.25

Simplifying we get:

(x + 1)² + (y + 1.5)² = 3.25

The coordinates of the center are the opposite of the constants in the completed squares, which gives us the point (-1, -1.5). However, since none of the provided options include -1.5 for the y-coordinate (perhaps due to a typo in the question), the closest match is option (b) (-1, -1).

User Hfisch
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