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| :eccentricity = <i>e</i> = square root( (<i>a</i><sup>2</sup> - <i>b</i><sup>2</sup>)/<i>a</i><sup>2</sup>) | :eccentricity = <i>e</i> = square root( (<i>a</i><sup>2</sup> - <i>b</i><sup>2</sup>)/<i>a</i><sup>2</sup>) | ||
| The eccentricity of an ellipse is greater than zero and smaller than 1 |
The eccentricity of an ] is greater than zero and smaller than 1 | ||
| The eccentricity of a circle is zero. | The eccentricity of a ] is zero. | ||
| The eccentricity of a ] is 1. | |||
| The eccentricity of a ] is greater than 1. | |||
| In ], eccentricity refers to the deviation of an object's orbital motion from a circular orbit, according to the mathematical formula given above. | In ], eccentricity refers to the deviation of an object's orbital motion from a circular orbit, according to the mathematical formula given above. | ||
Revision as of 15:51, 13 June 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:
- eccentricity = e = square root( (a - b)/a)
The eccentricity of an ellipse is greater than zero and smaller than 1
The eccentricity of a circle is zero.
The eccentricity of a parabola is 1.
The eccentricity of a hyperbola is greater than 1.
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 a person.