Final answer:
If the discriminant is greater than 0, then the conic section is an ellipse.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the discriminant is greater than 0, then the conic section is an ellipse.
The discriminant is a value used to determine the type of conic section that is formed by the equation. For a quadratic equation that represents a conic section, the discriminant is calculated as b^2 - 4ac.
If the discriminant is greater than 0, it means that the quadratic equation has two distinct real roots, resulting in an ellipse.
For example, if we have the equation x^2/25 + y^2/16 = 1, the discriminant is (0^2) - 4(25)(16) = 400, which is greater than 0.
Therefore, the conic section represented by this equation is an ellipse.