在数学中，椭圆是平面上到两个固定点的距离之和为常数的点之轨迹

根据该定义，可以用手绘椭圆：先准备一条线，将这条线的两端各绑在固定的点上（这两个点就当作是椭圆的两个焦点）；取一支笔，用笔尖将线绷紧，这时候两个点和笔就形成了一个三角形（的两边）；然后左右移动笔尖拉着线开始作图，持续地使线绷紧，最后就可以完成一个椭圆的图形了。

In mathematics, an ellipse is a curve on a plane that surrounds two focal points such that the sum of the distances to the two focal points is constant for every point on the curve. As such, it is a generalization of a circle, which is a special type of an ellipse that has both focal points at the same location. The shape of an ellipse (how 'elongated' it is) is represented by its eccentricity, which for an ellipse can be any number from 0 (the limiting case of a circle) to arbitrarily close to but less than 1.