| Revision as of 11:16, 19 February 2002 editConversion script (talk | contribs)10 editsm Automated conversion | Revision as of 16:20, 19 February 2002 edit undo-- April (talk | contribs)3,263 edits +other usagesNext edit → | ||
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| In ], eccentricity is a measure of how much an ellipse deviates from a circle. | |||
| To calculate the eccentricity of any ellipse, measure the semi-major axis | To calculate the eccentricity of any ellipse, measure the semi-major axis | ||
| and call it " a " . Measure the semi-minor axis and call that measurement | and call it " a " . Measure the semi-minor axis and call that measurement | ||
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| The eccentricity is given the symbol, " e " . | The eccentricity is given the symbol, " e " . | ||
| The eccentricity of any ellipse is greater than zero, but smaller | The eccentricity of any ellipse is greater than zero, but smaller than 1.0 | ||
| than 1.0 | |||
| The eccentricity of a circle is zero. | The eccentricity of a circle is zero. | ||
| In ], eccentricity refers to the deviation of an object's orbital motion from a circular orbit, according to the mathematical formula given above. | |||
| In popular useage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an indididual. | |||
Revision as of 16:20, 19 February 2002
In mathematics, eccentricity is a measure of how much an ellipse deviates from a circle. To calculate the eccentricity of any ellipse, measure the semi-major axis and call it " a " . Measure the semi-minor axis and call that measurement " b ". Now calculate:
SquareRoot( (a^2 - b^2)/a^2 )
The eccentricity is given the symbol, " e " .
The eccentricity of any ellipse is greater than zero, but smaller than 1.0
The eccentricity of a circle is zero.
In astronomy, eccentricity refers to the deviation of an object's orbital motion from a circular orbit, according to the mathematical formula given above.
In popular useage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an indididual.