Math Playground
Geometry

Eccentricity

How squashed is the conic? 0 = circle, <1 = ellipse, 1 = parabola, >1 = hyperbola.

Eccentricity measures how 'stretched' a conic section is.

By value

  • e = 0 — circle.
  • 0 < e < 1 — ellipse.
  • e = 1 — parabola.
  • e > 1 — hyperbola.