Question 6 - Ellipses & Parabolas Main Parts of an Ellipse Major Axis (the long one) Minor Axis (the short one) Focal Points Vertex Key Concepts The distance from a focal point to the end of the minor axis is equal to 1/2 the major axis The distance from a focal point to any point on the curve of an ellipse and back to the other focal point is equal in length to the major axis How to Draw an Ellipse - Circle Method 1 - Draw a circle with a diameter equal to the major axis and a circle with a diameter equal to the minor axis using the same centre 2 - Divide the circles into 12 slices using your 30 deg set square 3 - Draw a vertical line down from each point where the lines meet the outer circle and draw a horizontal line across where the lines meet the smaller circle. Mark out the points where the horizontal and vertical lines meet. 4 - Use these points to freehand sketch the ellipse