What is the formula and an common practical way to draw an oval?

Answer 1

If by an oval you mean an ellipse, the formula for it is:

(x-h)^2/a^2 + (y-k)^2/b^2 = 1

Where (h, k) is the center of the ellipse, and a and b are the major and minor axes.

As far as a common practical way to draw it, the definition of an ellipse is "the set of all points whose distance from two interior points (foci) is a constant".

So, to draw an ellipse, one way would be to stick two pushpins in a piece of paper, and then take a piece of string, tie it in a loop, and loop it around the two pushpins. Then take a pencil and pull the string completely taut, and try to draw a circle. You'll end up drawing an ellipse instead.

I don't know of an equation for an "oval", like an egg shape, or a way to draw one reliably. But I think you mean an ellipse, which looks like an oval. A picture of one is at the link below.

Answer 2

The "practical" to draw an ellipse is to set up to nails along the major axis, both at a distance of (a^2 - b^2)^0.5 from the center of the ellipse. a is half the width if the ellipse and b is half the height.
Then you tie up the ends of a string with length 2*a in both the nails. Then you get a pencil.
Tense the string with the pencil and now you can draw your ellipse.

You will get the same curve as if you draw (x-h)^2/a^2 + (y-k)^2/b^2 = 1, where (h, k) is the center of the ellipse.

Good luck! ;)

Answer 3

texasmav.. has the idea,provided you don't need to draw according to a mathematical method.A slight improvement on tex..s method is to stick two drawing pins though the drawing paper into a flat board.You now tie a piece of into a loop,drape that over the pins and then draw an ellipse by putting a pencil, or whatever you want to use,though the loop and draw a complete oval by moving the pencil around the path defined by the string loop.This way you get your continuous oval in one go.

Answer 4

Other posters give you the formula. To draw the oval:

Stick two pins in a sheet of paper. Tie a string to each pin, leaving some slack. Draw the oval, using the tip of the pencil to keep the string taut. (You'll probably have to make two half-ovals to do this effectively.)

Answer 5

x^2+y^2.

Answer 6

an oval is an ellipse...so use the formula for an ellipse to make an oval