Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-methods-ii-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2013/11/c/solution

For reflection between the foci of an ellipse, assume and define . From part (b),
On the ellipse this sum is normal to the tangent. Thus a unit tangent obeys . The magnitudes of the projections of the two unit focal directions on the tangent are equal, proving
for the corresponding acute, unoriented line angles.
More explicitly, let . The law of reflection maps an incoming unit ray to
which points from toward . Thus the equal-angle property has the correct incoming/outgoing ray orientation, rather than merely an algebraic bisector assertion.
Figure 1.
Calculated equal-length reflected ray paths between the foci of an ellipse
. Details.

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