The eccentricity is calculated using the formula $e = \frac{c}{a}$ where $c$ is the distance from the center to the focus and $a$ is the semi-major axis length.
Review Questions
What is the eccentricity of a hyperbola?
How does eccentricity help differentiate between different types of conic sections?
Calculate the eccentricity of an ellipse with semi-major axis length 5 and distance from center to focus 3.
Related terms
Conic Section: A curve obtained as the intersection of a cone with a plane. Examples include circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas.
Semi-Major Axis: The longest diameter of an ellipse, extending from one side to another through its center.
Focus: One of the fixed points used to define a conic section. For ellipses and hyperbolas, there are two foci.