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How to Survey an Ellipse

Mathematics is one of the most fundamental subjects in humanity, and it is studied throughout public schools and college. Geometry is a subset of mathematics and involves the study of shapes, their dimensions and areas. An ellipse is an enclosed curve, which resembles a stretched circle. An ellipse can be defined by two axises, and these are known as the semi-major axis (direction along the stretched part of the circle) and the semi-minor axis (direction along the shrunk part of the circle).

Things You'll Need

Ruler/tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the longest dimension within the ellipse. Divide this value by 2 to get the value of the semi-major axis. The semi-major axis is denoted by "A."
- 2
  Measure the shortest dimension within the ellipse. Divide this value by 2 to get the value of the semi-minor axis. The semi-minor axis is denoted by "B."
- 3
  Calculate the eccentricity of the ellipse. The formula for eccentricity is defined as:
  
  e = SQRT((a^2)-(b^2)/a^2)
  
  "SQRT" means the square root of everything enclosed within the brackets.The ellipse has now been fully surveyed.

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