Definition:Major Axis of Ellipse/Definition 2

Definition

Consider an ellipse $K$ whose foci are $F_1$ and $F_2$.

The major axis of $K$ is the diameter of $K$ which has the greatest length.

In the above diagram, $V_1 V_2$ is the major axis of $K$.

Also see

• Equivalence of Definitions of Major Axis of Ellipse

• Results about the major axis of an ellipse can be found here.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): ellipse
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): major axis
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): ellipse
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): major axis