Hyperbola is a pair of straight lines?

Question

I'm confused by this question:

If $f(x) = 2x^2 - 6y^2+xy+2x-17y-12=0$ is to represent a pair of straight lines, one of which has equation $x+2y+3=0$, what must be the equation of the other line? Verify that $f(x)=0$ does, indeed, represent a pair of straight lines.

Given the general form of a conic section $Ax^2+By^2+Cxy+Dx+Ey+F=0$ we know that if $C^2 > 4AC$ as here, it's a hyperbola. Therefore I don't get how the equation can represent 2 straight lines. Any clues?

Answer 1

Dividing $f(x,y)$ through by the suggested $x+2y+3$ gives $$f(x,y) = (x+2y+3)(2x-3y-4)=0.$$ The product is zero when either $x+2y+3=0$ or $2x-3y-4=0$, both of which are equations for lines.

You're right that $f$ is has positive discriminant, but it happens to be a reducible degenerate conic. Maybe the simplest example is $y^2-x^2=0$, which is clearly a pair of lines. Generally speaking, a conic section $f(x,y)=0$ will be degenerate any time you can factor $f(x,y) = a(x,y)b(x,y)$.