Equation of a Chord with Given Slope

Equation of a Chord with Given Slope

For:

$$\frac{x^2}{a^2}+\frac{y^2}{b^2}=1$$

a chord having slope $$m$$ can be written in the form:

$$y=mx+c$$

where the values of $$c$$ corresponding to the two parallel tangents are determined from:

$$c^2=a^2m^2+b^2$$

Usage

- Used to determine the limiting parallel tangents and study chords of a specified slope.