2007-06-27 18:36:08 · 13 answers · asked by shubhshreya 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
basically an oval. It looks like a stretched-out circle.
2007-06-27 18:38:15 · answer #1 · answered by eV 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can find out for yourself in this easy experiment.
1. Get a piece of cardboard and stick two thumbtacks in it, about 4 inches apart.
2. Tie a piece of string about 10 inches long in a closed loop.
3. Put the string on the board, looped around the thumbtacks.
4. Hold a pen so that the string is stretched tight in a triangle between the tip of the pen and the two thumbtacks.
5. Start drawing an arc, keeping the string stretched tight. This arc is an ellipse.
6. If you chance the distance between the thumbtacks, you will get a wider or narrower ellipse.
The ellipse is the shape of the planetary orbits. The Sun is at one focal point, and there's nothing at the other focal point. Notice if you try this again with the thumbtacks very close together, the ellipse becomes nearly a circle. A circle is therefore a special case of the ellipse.
2007-06-27 18:45:19 · answer #2 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
An ellipse, commonly referred to as an oval, is the shape in which the sum of the distances from a point on the shape to two points (the foci) is constant. It algebraically has the equation
Ax^2 + Bxy + Cy^2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0
The values for the coefficients can tell a lot about the particular ellipse, which you can read more about at the Wikipedia article I posted if you're interested.
Because you are posting this in astronomy and space, I will also note that any time an object is in orbit around another object, its path around the object is always elliptical (unless some other object interferes). For more on this, check out the other two links.
2007-06-27 18:42:52 · answer #3 · answered by Joe T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An ellipse is the shape you get if you have the ends of a string tied to two nails in a board, and move a pencil around on the board using the pencil to keep the string tight.
An ellipse is also the shape you get if you cut a circular cone or circular cyllinder with a plane.
It is the shape of a round flashlight beam shining on a flat surface at an angle.
2007-06-27 18:51:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy in the Hubble sequence. Spherical to elliptical in shape, elliptical galaxies can range in size from hundreds of millions to over one trillion stars generally crowding at the center, while the outer regions contain scattered globular clusters. Most elliptical galaxies are comprised of older low-mass stars, a sparse interstellar medium, and contain minimal star formation activity. Elliptical galaxies are believed to be approximately 70% of all galaxies. However, data may show discrepancies to this due the fact that Spiral galaxies are far more massive, and thus can be seen from distances where elliptical galaxies cannot.
2007-06-27 18:43:57 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's pretty mush an oval.
Fro example, this is an elipse.
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Well, sorta. Ellipses have 2 foci, and they also have vertices and all of that col stuff that you most likely don't want to hear because you just wanted to know what the shape was, not the mathematical equation.
Sometines I even bore myself while answering questions.....
2007-06-27 18:41:10 · answer #6 · answered by Pikajane 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An oblong circle, like an oval.
2007-06-27 18:38:30 · answer #7 · answered by C J 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A flat circle or an ovel a hoola hoop.
2007-07-01 07:01:08 · answer #8 · answered by Nimali F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oval.
2007-06-30 09:54:17 · answer #9 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a fancy word for oval
2007-06-27 18:38:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋