eccentricity
noun pl. eccentricities
- the state, quality, or amount of being eccentric
- deviation from what is ordinary or customary, as in conduct or manner; oddity; unconventionality
- an eccentric trait or habit; peculiarity
- Math. the ratio of the distances from any point of a conic section to the focus and to the directrix: the value of this ratio determines the type of conic section (zero = circle, between zero and one = ellipse, one = parabola, more than one = hyperbola)
- Mech. the distance between the center of a shaft and the center of its eccentric wheel: sometimes, erroneously, called a throw
See eccentricity in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(ĕkˌsĕn-trĭsˈĭ-tē)
noun pl. ec·cen·tric·i·ties a. The quality of being eccentric.
b. Deviation from the normal, expected, or established.
- An example or instance of eccentric behavior.
- Physics The distance between the center of an eccentric and its axis.
- Mathematics The ratio of the distance of any point on a conic section from a focus to its distance from the corresponding directrix. This ratio is constant for any particular conic section.
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