ellipticity

American  

[ih-lip-tis-i-tee, el-ip-, ee-lip-] / ɪ lɪpˈtɪs ɪ ti, ˌɛl ɪp-, ˌi lɪp- /

noun

1. the degree of divergence of an ellipse from a circle.

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ellipticity British  

/ ɪlɪpˈtɪsɪtɪ, ˌɛl- /

noun

1. the degree of deviation from a circle or sphere of an elliptical or ellipsoidal shape or path, measured as the ratio of the major to the minor axes

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Etymology

Origin of ellipticity

1745–55; elliptic- ( elliptical ) + -ity

Example Sentences

Studies of known pulsars—fast-spinning neutron stars that emit lighthouselike beams of radiation—have already placed limits on ellipticity about 1,000 times better than those from this study, he says.

From Scientific American

They focused on two factors: the asymmetry and ellipticity—or ovalness—of an egg.

From National Geographic

“Perhaps, evolutionarily, birds stumbled upon this very natural, geometric solution, which is to increase the ellipticity and asymmetry of their eggs,” Dr. Mahadevan said, since doing so allows for greater volume without increasing girth.

From New York Times

Latitude and time of year are chief, but the ellipticity of Earth’s orbit and the fact that the planet is not quite spherical must also be taken into account.

From Scientific American

In the case of extensive operations the surface must be considered as a compressed ellipsoid of rotation, whose minor axis coincides with the earth’s axis, and whose compression, flattening, or ellipticity is about 1/298.

From Project Gutenberg