Maths Olympiad Prep

Track / Stage 3 / 163 of 260 #163 of 1964

Problem 163

AMC 10/12, early questions
Geometry Difficulty 3.5 Find the answer

Given that \F_{1}\ and \F_{2}\ are the left and right foci of the ellipse \ \dfrac {x^{2}}{a^{2}}+ \dfrac {y^{2}}{b^{2}}=1(a > b > 0)\, if there exists a point \P\ on the ellipse such that \PF_{1} \perp PF_{2}\, then the range of the eccentricity of the ellipse is \()(\quad).

Pick one

Official solution

Since \F_{1}\ and \F_{2}\ are the left and right foci of the ellipse \ \dfrac {x^{2}}{a^{2}}+ \dfrac {y^{2}}{b^{2}}=1(a > b > 0)\,
it follows that the eccentricity \0 < e < 1\, \F_{1}(-c,0)\, \F_{2}(c,0)\, \c^{2}=a^{2}-b^{2}\.
Let point \P(x,y)\, from \PF_{1} \perp PF_{2}\, we get \(x-c,y) \cdot (x+c,y)=0\, which simplifies to \x^{2}+y^{2}=c^{2}\.
By solving the system of equations \ \begin{cases} x^{2}+y^{2}=c^{2} \\\\ \dfrac {x^{2}}{a^{2}}+ \dfrac {y^{2}}{b^{2}}=1\end{cases}\, and rearranging, we get \x^{2}=(2c^{2}-a^{2})\cdot \dfrac {a^{2}}{c^{2}}\geqslant 0\.
Solving for \e\, we find \e\geqslant \dfrac { \sqrt {2}}{2}\, and since \0 < e < 1\,
\\therefore \dfrac { \sqrt {2}}{2}\leqslant e < 1\.
Therefore, the correct choice is: \\boxed{B}\.
By setting point \P(x,y)\ and using \PF_{1} \perp PF_{2}\ to get \x^{2}+y^{2}=c^{2}\, and combining it with the equation of the ellipse, we can find the range of the eccentricity of the ellipse.
This question tests the method of finding the eccentricity of an ellipse, which is a medium-level problem. When solving, it is important to carefully read the problem and flexibly apply knowledge of ellipse properties and perpendicular lines.

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