Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Mathematics / Difference Between Circle and Ellipse

Difference Between Circle and Ellipse

September 16, 2011 Posted by Admin

Circle vs Ellipse

Both ellipse and circle are closed two-dimensional figures, which are referred as conic sections. A conic section is formed when a right circular cone and a plane intersect. There are four conic sections: circle, ellipse, parabola and hyperbola. The conic section type depends on the angle between the plane and the axis of the cone.

Ellipse

An Ellipse is the locus of a point that moves so that the sum of the distances between the point and two other fixed points is constant. These two points are called foci of the ellipse. The line joining these two foci is called the major axis of the ellipse. The midpoint of the major axis is called the center of the ellipse. A line perpendicular to the major axis and passes through the center is called the minor axis of the ellipse. These two are the diameters of the ellipse. The major axis is the longer diameter, and the minor axis is the shorter diameter. One-half of the major and the minor axis are known as the semi-major axis and the semi-minor axis, respectively.

The standard formula of an ellipse with vertical major axis and a center (h, k) is [(x-h)2/b2] + [(y-k)2/a2] =1, where 2a and 2b are the lengths of major axis and minor axis respectively.

Circle

The circle is the locus of a point, which moves with an equidistance from a given fixed point. The distance between any point on the circle and its center is constant, which is known as the radius. A circle is formed when a plane intersect a cone, perpendicular to its axis.

The circle is a special case of the ellipse where a=b=r, in the equation of the ellipse. ‘r’ is the radius of the circle. Therefore, by substituting a and b by r; we get the standard equation of a circle with radius r and the center (h, k): [(x-h)2/r2] + [(y-k)2/r2] =1 or (x-h)2+(y-k)2 = r2.

What is the difference between Circle and Ellipse?

• Distance between the center and any point on the circle is equal, but not in the ellipse.

• The two diameters of an ellipse are different in length, while, in a circle, the size of all the diameters is the same.

• The semi-major axis and semi-minor axis of an ellipse are different in length, while the radius is constant for a given circle.

Related posts:

Difference Between Parabola and Hyperbola Difference Between Circle and Sphere Difference Between Hyperbola and Rectangular Hyperbola Difference Between Transitive Property and Substitution Property Difference Between Infinity and Undefined

Filed Under: Mathematics Tagged With: center of ellipse, Circle, conic sections, diameters of ellipse, ellipse, foci of ellipse, locus, major axis of ellipse, minor axis of ellipse, properties of circle, properties of ellipse, RADIUS, radius of a circle, semi-major axis, semi-minor axis, standard equation of a circle, standard formula of an ellipse

About the Author: Admin

Coming from Engineering cum Human Resource Development background, has over 10 years experience in content developmet and management.

Comments

  1. Mike Bursak says

    March 26, 2021 at 1:33 am

    I have a small wooden oval or ellipse, not sure which. I would like to draw the major axis on it so screw holes can be located with some accuracy. Cannot figure out how to do that. Appearance is important. I have a large framing square that seems to help a bit & all the rest seems to be guesswork, Could you help me out with a clue or 2? Thanks.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Gorilla and Chimpanzee

Difference Between Gorilla and Chimpanzee

Difference Between Rubbing Alcohol and Hand Sanitizer

Difference Between Rubbing Alcohol and Hand Sanitizer

Difference Between Utricle and Saccule

Difference Between Utricle and Saccule

What is the Difference Between Industrial Alcohol and Absolute Alcohol

What is the Difference Between Industrial Alcohol and Absolute Alcohol

Difference Between Open Relationship and Relationship

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Kidney Stones and Appendicitis
  • What is the Difference Between Humic and Non-Humic Substances
  • What is the Difference Between Biopsy and Pap Smear
  • What is the Difference Between Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
  • What is the Difference Between Prediabetes and Diabetes
  • What is the Difference Between Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate and Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.