Eccentricity (mathematics)

In mathematics, the eccentricity of a conic section is a non-negative real number that uniquely characterizes its shape.

For the eccentricity of a vertex in a graph, see Eccentricity (graph theory).

One can think of the eccentricity as a measure of how much a conic section deviates from being circular. In particular:

  • The eccentricity of a circle is 0.
  • The eccentricity of an ellipse which is not a circle is between 0 and 1.
  • The eccentricity of a parabola is 1.
  • The eccentricity of a hyperbola is greater than 1.
  • The eccentricity of a pair of lines is

Two conic sections with the same eccentricity are similar.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.