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ERIC Number: EJ954192
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0730-8639
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Classroom Note on: The Average Distance in an Ellipse
Gordon, Sheldon P.
Mathematics and Computer Education, v45 n1 p6-9 Win 2011
This article presents an applied calculus exercise that can be easily shared with students. One of Kepler's greatest discoveries was the fact that the planets move in elliptic orbits with the sun at one focus. Astronomers characterize the orbits of particular planets by their minimum and maximum distances to the sun, known respectively as the perihelion and aphelion. In this article, the author raises the more sophisticated mathematical question: What is the true average distance of a planet from the sun? More generally, he asks: For any ellipse, what is the true average distance from all points P(x, y) on the ellipse to a particular focus, (c, 0)? (Contains 2 figures.)
MATYC Journal Inc. Mathematics and Computer Education, P.O. Box 158, Old Bethpage, NY 11804. Tel: 516-822-5475; e-mail: macej@optonline.net Web site: http://www.macejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A