eccentric circles

eccentric circles

[ek¦sen·trik ′sərk·əlz] (mathematics) For an ellipse, two circles whose centers are at the center of the ellipse and whose diameters are, respectively, the major and minor axes of the ellipse. For a hyperbola, two circles whose centers are at the center of symmetry of the hyperbola and whose diameters are, respectively, the transverse and conjugate axes of the hyperbola.