IIT JEE , AIEEE Forum - Physics , Modern Physics

anil

if b and a denote the length of semimajor & semiminor axis of elliptical orbit then b/a is

cvramana

Simply a ratio. What else could it be? I think, I did'n get the question properly.

edison

If b/a is the ratio of semi-major to semi-minor axis then we can calculate its eccentricity using the formula

$e = \sqrt{1 - \frac{b^2}{a^2}}$

The eccentricity is a positive number less than 1, or 0 in the case of a circle. The greater the eccentricity is, the larger the ratio of a to b, and therefore the more elongated is the ellipse. Moreover, the distance between the foci is 2ae.

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