Definition:Ellipsoid

Definition

An ellipsoid is a conicoid whose plane sections are circles or ellipses.

Diameter

A chord of an ellipsoid $\EE$ which passes through the center of $\EE$ is called a diameter of $\EE$.

Major Axis

Let $\EE$ be an ellipsoid.

The major axis of $\EE$ is the chord of $\EE$ which has the greatest length.

Also see

• Standard Equation of Ellipsoid

• Definition:Paraboloid
• Definition:Hyperboloid

• Results about ellipsoids can be found here.

Linguistic Note

The adjectival form of ellipsoid is ellipsoidal, that is: denoting or concerning an ellipsoid.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): conicoid (conoid)
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): ellipsoid
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): conicoid (conoid)
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): ellipsoid