semimajor axis

Noun

Meaning

one-half the major axis of an ellipse; the distance from the center of an ellipse to one end

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Examples

Here P is the time taken for a planet to complete an orbit round the sun, and a is the mean value between the maximum and minimum distances between the planet and sun (i.e. the semimajor axis). Source: Internet

This yields numerical values for the Moon's secular deceleration, i.e. negative acceleration, in longitude and the rate of change of the semimajor axis of the Earth–Moon ellipse. Source: Internet

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