Final answer:
The equation of a hyperbola with a horizontal transverse axis of length 6 and passing through the point (9, -8) is x^2/9 - y^2/8 = 1.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the equation of the hyperbola centered at the origin with a horizontal transverse axis of length 6 and passing through the point (9,−8), we first note the transverse axis length provides the distance between the two vertices on the horizontal axis (x-axis), which is 2a. Therefore, the distance from the center to each vertex, 'a', is half of this, or 3 units. The standard form of a horizontal hyperbola centered at the origin is (x2/a2) - (y2/b2) = 1.
Since the point (9,−8) lies on the hyperbola, we can substitute x = 9 and y = −8 into the equation to find 'b'. After substitution, we get (92/32) - (82/b2) = 1, simplifying to 9 - (64/b2) = 1. Solving this for b2 gives us b2 = 64/8, thus b2 = 8.
Finally, the equation of the hyperbola is x2/9 - y2/8 = 1.