Hyperbolas

[Hygelac]

Hey, I have a couple of _easy_ questions about hyperbolas, but its been a while since I have worked with them and am not able to look them up in my math book currently...if someone could just get me started in the right direction, I would really appreciate it :)

Given the equation of the hyperbola: 9(x-2)^2 - 16(y-4)^2 = 144

1. In which quadrant is its center?

2. What are its x/y intercepts?

Again, if you could just get me started, that would be great :biggrin:

[Sirus]

Since you haven't shown any attempt at solving the problem, I will just get you started. The generalized equation for a horizontal hyperbola is:
\frac{(x-h)^2}{a^2}-\frac{(y-k)^2}{b^2}=1
where (h,k) is the center, a is the horizontal distance from the center to each vertex, and b is the vertical distance from the center to a point on one of the asymptotes (x,y) such that x is the x-coordinate of a vertex.