Question

What is the difference between the circle and an ellipse?

Answer 1

Hint: The question asked is of the conic section. The cone has four sections: circle, ellipse, hyperbola and parabola and obviously all these are different from each other. In the same way the difference between two sections is asked and is differentiated below.

Complete step-by-step answer:
As per the question we need to know what is a circle and ellipse. Now, let’s learn about circles.

Circle is similar to a loop which is formed by a line in such a manner that all the points are equidistant from the centre of the circle. As it is a closed curve so it has both interior and exterior which is attained when the plane intersects the right circular cone perpendicular to the cone axis. Also, it is the two-dimensional figure of the conic section whose eccentricity is zero. If the interior of the circle is included then it is said to be the disk. One most important thing about a circle is that all the diameters of the circle are of equal length as all points are equidistant from the circle.
Now, an ellipse is attained when the plane cuts through the cone orthogonally through the axis of the cone. A circle is a special ellipse. Also, in an ellipse the distance of the locus of all the points on the plane to two fixed points which are known as the foci always add to the constant. Ellipse has two diameters. The major diameter is the longer diameter and the shorter one is called the minor diameter.

Note: While defining an ellipse and its properties or while solving the questions we must be aware of the various terms of the ellipse that must be used with care as it may lead to very careless mistakes and we may get confused.