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Revision as of 16:20, 19 February 2002 by -- April (talk | contribs) (+other usages)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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.