About the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid

In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of approximating the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid to be 4piA*B, similar to a spherical shape with surface area 4piR*R. The suggestion is to use eqn 9 from the provided link, which involves substituting for a in terms of c and e using eqn 8 and making an approximation for small e. However, the link is not working and the exact equations are given as eqn (9) and eqn 8, using radii a, a, and c. It is noted that the approximation may not be exact and depends on the desired level of accuracy.
  • #1
Tahmeed
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Is there any limit for which we can approximately write the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid to be 4piA*B comparing with the spherical 4piR*R??
 
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  • #2
Tahmeed said:
Is there any limit for which we can approximately write the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid to be 4piA*B comparing with the spherical 4piR*R??
Look at eqn 9 at http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ProlateSpheroid.html.
You could substitute for a in terms of c and e using eqn 8, then make an approximation for small e.
 
  • #3
haruspex said:
Look at eqn 9 at http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ProlateSpheroid.html.
You could substitute for a in terms of c and e using eqn 8, then make an approximation for small e.
I don't know why but the link isn't working for me. However does it bring 4piAC as a result?
 
  • #4
Tahmeed said:
I don't know why but the link isn't working for me. However does it bring 4piAC as a result?
It can't be exactly that, of course, so it depends how good an approximation you want.
The exact equations at that link are
Area = ##2\pi a^2+2\pi ac\sin^{-1}(e)/e##, eqn (9), and ##a^2=c^2(1-e^2)##, eqn 8
where the radii are a, a, c.
 
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Related to About the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid

1. What is a prolate ellipsoid?

A prolate ellipsoid is a three-dimensional shape that is similar to an elongated sphere. It is created by rotating an ellipse around its major axis.

2. How is the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid calculated?

The surface area of a prolate ellipsoid can be calculated using the formula 4πab, where a is the semi-major axis and b is the semi-minor axis. This formula assumes that the prolate ellipsoid is symmetrical along its major axis.

3. What is the difference between a prolate ellipsoid and an oblate ellipsoid?

A prolate ellipsoid is elongated along its major axis, while an oblate ellipsoid is flattened along its major axis. This means that the semi-major axis is longer than the semi-minor axis in a prolate ellipsoid, while the opposite is true for an oblate ellipsoid.

4. How is the surface area of a prolate ellipsoid affected by changing the major and minor axes?

As the major axis of a prolate ellipsoid increases, the surface area also increases. However, the surface area decreases as the minor axis decreases. This is because a longer major axis results in a more elongated shape, while a shorter minor axis results in a more compact shape.

5. In what real-life applications are prolate ellipsoids used?

Prolate ellipsoids are commonly used in engineering and physics, particularly in the design of spacecraft and satellites. They are also used in biology to model the shape of cells and protein molecules.

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