Share this Article on Facebook Twitter Submit this article to Reddit Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

ellipse

ellipse

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

ellipse closed plane curve consisting of all points for which the sum of the distances between a point on the curve and two fixed points (foci) is the same. It is the conic section formed by a plane cutting all the elements of the cone in the same nappe. The center of an ellipse is the point halfway between its foci. The major axis is the chord that passes through the foci. The minor axis is the chord that passes through the center perpendicular to the major axis. The latus rectum is the chord through either focus perpendicular to the major axis. The vertices are the two points of intersection of the major axis with the curve. The eccentricity of an ellipse, a ratio of two lengths, is a measure of its flatness; it is the distance from the center to either focus divided by the distance from the center to either vertex. The circle may be considered an ellipse of eccentricity zero, i.e., one in which the center and the two foci all coincide.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"ellipse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ellipse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ellipse.html

"ellipse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Copyright

ellipse A closed curve like a flattened circle. The orbits of most celestial bodies are ellipses; the body being orbited lies at one focus of the ellipse. The longest diameter of an ellipse is termed its major axis, and the shortest diameter is the minor axis. Half the major axis is the semimajor axis, usually denoted by the letter a; the semiminor axis (half the minor axis) is usually denoted by b. The distance between the two foci of an ellipse divided by the length of the major axis is the ellipse's eccentricity, e. The eccentricity defines the shape of the ellipse, the ellipse being a circle when e = 0. When e is almost 1, the ellipse is long and narrow. For example, Halley's Comet follows an orbit for which e = 0.967.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"ellipse." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ellipse." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-ellipse.html

"ellipse." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

ellipse Conic section formed by cutting a right circular cone with a plane inclined at such an angle that the plane does not intersect the base of the cone. When the intersecting plane is parallel to the base, the conic section is a circle. In rectangular Cartesian coordinates its standard equation is x2/a2 + y2/b2 = 1. Most planetary orbits are ellipses.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"ellipse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ellipse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ellipse.html

"ellipse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

el·lipse / iˈlips/ • n. a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points (the foci) is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by an oblique plane that does not intersect the base.

ellipse
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"ellipse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ellipse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ellipse.html

"ellipse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | 2000 | | Copyright

ellipse. Figure formed by section made by a plane passing obliquely through the axis of a regular cone. Unlike an oval, it is identical at each end, i.e. on both sides of its dividing axes. See also arch.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "ellipse." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "ellipse." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-ellipse.html

JAMES STEVENS CURL. "ellipse." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

ellipse XVIII. — F. — L. ell¯psis (see next).
Hence ellipsoid XVIII.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "ellipse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "ellipse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ellipse.html

T. F. HOAD. "ellipse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

ellipse

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

ellipse •apse, collapse, craps, elapse, lapse, perhaps, schnapps •prolapse • synapse • Lesseps •quadriceps •biceps, triceps •forceps •traipse, trapes •jackanapes • Pepys •Chips, eclipse, ellipse, thrips •Phillips • apocalypse •amidships, midships •cripes, Stars and Stripes •copse • Cheops • Pelops • Cyclops •triceratops • corpse • Stopes •oops, whoops •turps • mumps • goosebumps

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"ellipse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"ellipse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ellipse.html

"ellipse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ellipse.html

Learn more about citation styles

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of ellipse

Related topics