eccentricity

(noun)

The coefficient of variation between $r_{\text{min}}$ and $r_{\text{max}}$: $\epsilon=\frac{r_{\text{max}}-r_{\text{min}}}{r_{\text{max}}+r_{\text{min}}}$. The further appart the foci are, the stronger the eccentricity.

Related Terms

Examples of eccentricity in the following topics:

  • Kepler's First Law

    • How stretched out an ellipse is from a perfect circle is known as its eccentricity: a parameter that can take any value greater than or equal to 0 (a circle) and less than 1 (as the eccentricity tends to 1, the ellipse tends to a parabola).
    • The eccentricities of the planets known to Kepler varied from 0.007 (Venus) to 0.2 (Mercury).
    • The dwarf planet Pluto, discovered in 1929, has an eccentricity of 0.25.
    • The eccentricity $\epsilon$ is the coefficient of variation between $r_{\text{min}}$ and $r_{\text{max}}$:
    • The orbits of planets with very small eccentricities can be approximated as circles.

  • Satellites

    • Geocentric orbits may be further classified by their altitude, inclination and eccentricity.
    • Circular orbit: An orbit that has an eccentricity of 0 and whose path traces a circle.
    • Elliptic orbit: An orbit with an eccentricity greater than 0 and less than 1 whose orbit traces the path of an ellipse.

  • Magnitude of the Magnetic Force

    • The SI unit for magnitude of the magnetic field strength is called the tesla (T) in honor of the brilliant and eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), who made great contributions to our understanding of magnetic fields and their practical applications.