the.com/ellipse
a circle that got nervous and decided to keep its options open
means A closed oval curve, mathematically the set of points whose distances from two fixed foci sum to a constant — like a circle stretched along one axis.
from From Greek 'elleipsis,' meaning a 'falling short' or 'omission' (from 'elleipein,' to leave behind or fall short — 'leipein,' to leave, with 'en-,' in). The geometer Apollonius of Perga gave it the name because, in his way of slicing a cone, the ellipse's defining square 'fell short' of a reference rectangle — as opposed to the parabola (an exact application) and the hyperbola (an excess). The same root gave grammar its 'ellipsis,' those three dots marking words left out — the curve and the punctuation are siblings, both named for what's missing.
- two foci
- defined by two anchor points, not one center
- planetary truth
- Kepler proved orbits are ellipses, not circles
- whisper trick
- sound from one focus reaches the other perfectly
- squash factor
- eccentricity measures how flattened it is
- hidden circle
- a circle is an ellipse with both foci merged
earth's orbit — planet travels around sun at 0.0167 eccentricity, closest in january
halley's comet orbit — returns every 75-76 years in highly elliptical path, next arrival 2061
oval office — room in white house shaped elliptically, 35 by 29 feet