Solveeit Logo

Question

Question: The locus of a point P(α, β) moving under the condition that the line y = ax + β is a tangent to the...

The locus of a point P(α, β) moving under the condition that the line y = ax + β is a tangent to the hyperbola x2a2y2b2\frac{x^{2}}{a^{2}} - \frac{y^{2}}{b^{2}} = 1 is

A

A parabola

B

A hyperbola

C

An ellipse

D

A circle

Answer

A hyperbola

Explanation

Solution

If y = mx + c is tangent to the hyperbola then

c2 = a2 m2 – b2. Here β2 = a2α2 – b2. Hence locus of P(α, β) is a2x2 – y2 = b2, which is a hyperbola.