Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WouterVH (talk | contribs) at 13:24, 8 May 2005 (Added Eccentricity in graph theory + fixed link to Eccentric (mechanism)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Eccentric is from the Greek for out of the centre, as opposed to concentric, in the centre.

• In mathematics, eccentricity is a parameter associated with every conic section. It can be thought of as a measure of how much the conic section deviates from being circular.

• For Eccentricity in graph theory, see Distance (graph theory)
• In astrodynamics, the eccentricity of an orbit can be calculated from orbital state vectors as an absolute value of eccentricity vector or using other methods based on orbital energy and angular momentum.
• In mechanical engineering, an eccentric is a wheel that rotates on an axle that is displaced from the focus of the circle described by the wheel —in other words, a mechanical motion that can operate either as a cam or a crank, depending upon how it is driven.
• In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behaviour on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal". There is a saying that "If you're rich, you're eccentric; if you're poor, you're crazy." See also List of people widely considered to be eccentric.

• Disambiguation pages