Enter your semi-major and semi-minor axis into the calculator to determine the eccentricity of an ellipse.
Eccentricity Calculation Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the eccentricity of an ellipse.
Eccentricity (e) = sqrt(1 - (b^2 / a^2))
Variables:
- Eccentricity (e) is a measure of how much an ellipse deviates from being circular.
- a is the length of the semi-major axis.
- b is the length of the semi-minor axis.
To calculate the eccentricity, plug in the values of the semi-major and semi-minor axes into the formula and compute the result.
What is Eccentricity Calculation?
Eccentricity calculation is the process of determining the eccentricity of an ellipse, which is a measure of its deviation from being a perfect circle. This involves understanding the lengths of the semi-major and semi-minor axes and applying them to the eccentricity formula. Proper calculation of eccentricity is essential in fields such as astronomy, engineering, and geometry.
How to Calculate Eccentricity?
The following steps outline how to calculate the eccentricity using the given formula.
- First, determine the lengths of the semi-major axis (a) and the semi-minor axis (b).
- Next, use the formula: Eccentricity (e) = sqrt(1 – (b^2 / a^2)).
- Calculate the square of the semi-minor axis and divide it by the square of the semi-major axis.
- Subtract the result from 1 and take the square root of the resulting value to obtain the eccentricity.
- Check your answer using the calculator above to ensure accuracy.
Example Problem:
Use the following variables as an example problem