Eccentricity in Geometry
Eccentricity of a conic section is defined as the distance from any point on the conic section to its focus, divided by the perpendicular distance from that point to the closest directrix.
Simply put, the Eccentricity of a conic section is a constant value. It’s the ratio of the distance from any point on the curve to its focus and the distance between that point and its closest directrix. This constant is the same for every conic section.
- It is denoted by the letter “e” .
- Eccentricity gives a constant value for that conical shape.
- Eccentricity of a curved shape determines how flattened a circle is.
- Linear eccentricity of a conic section is the distance between the centre of the section and its focus (one or two).
- Ratio of linear eccentricity to semimajor axis is termed as eccentricity.
Eccentricity Definition
Eccentricity can be defined as actually how much deviation or variation a conic section (a Circle, Ellipse, Parabola or Hyperbola) shows from being perfectly circular or round.
A circular curve has zero eccentricity, so the Eccentricity describes how much “un-circular” or “flat” or “elongated” a conic section is. The value of Eccentricity is constant and positive for any conic section.
Eccentricity Formula of Circle, Parabola, Ellipse, Hyperbola
Eccentricity is a non-negative real number that describes the shape of a conic section. It measures how much a conic section deviates from being circular. Generally, eccentricity measures the degree to which a conic section differs from a uniform circular shape.
Let’s discuss Eccentricity formula for circle, parabola, ellipse, and hyperbola, along with examples.
Table of Content
- Eccentricity in Geometry
- Eccentricity Formula
- Eccentricity of Circle
- Eccentricity of Parabola
- Eccentricity of Ellipse
- Eccentricity of Hyperbola
- Eccentricity of Conic Sections
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