Length of Latus Rectum

Rarely Tested

Length of Latus Rectum

For an ellipse:

$$L=\frac{2b^2}{a}$$

Terminology

- Latus rectum → Chord passing through a focus and perpendicular to the major axis.

Usage

- Used to determine the length of the focal chord perpendicular to the major axis.

Question 1

Let an ellipse have its center at the origin and its major axis along the x-axis. If the length of the latus rectum is equal to the distance between the foci, then the eccentricity of the ellipse is

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