Definition:Latus Rectum of Ellipse/Definition 2
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Definition
A latus rectum of an ellipse $K$ is a chord of $K$ passing through a focus of $K$ parallel to the directrix of $K$.
Also see
- Results about the latus rectum of an ellipse can be found here.
Linguistic Note
The term latus rectum is a compound of the Latin:
- latus, meaning side
- rectum, meaning straight or right, as in straight line or right angle.
Hence it literally means right side or straight side.
Its plural is latera recta.
Sources
- Weisstein, Eric W. "Latus Rectum." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/LatusRectum.html