Ellipses
Subject:
Trigonometry [1]
Tags:
geometry [2]
Conic sections [3]
Ellipse [5]
Semi-minor axis [6]
Semi-major axis [7]
focus [8]
eccentricity [9]
Circle [10]
Line Segment [11]
Hyperbola [12]
Director circle [13]
An ellipse is the set of points such that the sum of the distances from any point on the ellipse to two other fixed points is constant. The two fixed points are called the foci (plural of focus) of the ellipse. Figure %: The sum of the distances d1 + d2 is the same for any point on the ellipse. The line segment containing the foci of an ellipse with both endpoints on the ellipse is called the major axis. The endpoints of the major axis are called the vertices. The point halfway between the foci is the center of the ellipse. The line segment perpendicular to the major axis and passing through the center, with both endpoints on the ellipse, is the minor axis.