Thanks to Rose for this tutorial on PSD Tuts.
I don't know about you, but Conic Sections was always one of those lessons that I seem to either barely touch on at the end of Precalculus, or just end up skipping altogether. It's not that I don't like the lesson but the amount of material that is covered can be staggering, taking up precious time that can be used for other concepts needed in Calculus. Thankfully, Tennessee state standards for Algebra 2 have included Conic Sections heavily in their newest version. Also, the ACT has included these concepts more and more over the past 10 years.
While introducing the different conic sections we always start with the familiar ones: lines, parabolas, and circles. Usually around the time we start talking about conic sections and quadratic regressions the MLB (Major League Baseball) is in the climax of the season. So, one of the applications I mention is measuring the distance of a home run. Most of the students know that home runs are measured and compared, but they never really think about the fact that the measurement is given right when the home run occurs. No one is out there with a tape measure or yard stick. It's a great discussion to introduce parabolas, quadratic regressions, and the many applications of conic sections.
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