The surface area of an oblate ellipsoid

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the surface area calculation of an oblate ellipsoid as presented in "An Introduction to Nuclear Physics" by W. N. Cottingham and D. A. Greenwood. A participant attempts to reconcile their derived formula, 4πR²(1+ε+(7/5)ε²+(36/35)ε³+...), with the book's result, noting discrepancies particularly in the absence of a linear term in ε. The conversation highlights the importance of correctly defining parameters such as R and the eccentricity ε, where ε is defined as c/a. Participants suggest reviewing definitions and calculations to resolve the inconsistencies.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of oblate ellipsoids and their geometric properties
  • Familiarity with Taylor series expansions
  • Knowledge of eccentricity definitions in geometry
  • Basic principles of nuclear physics as outlined in Cottingham and Greenwood's work
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the derivation of the surface area of an oblate ellipsoid
  • Study Taylor series applications in physics
  • Examine definitions of eccentricity in various contexts, including geometry and physics
  • Explore advanced topics in nuclear physics related to ellipsoidal shapes
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in physics, particularly those focusing on nuclear physics, mathematicians interested in geometric properties, and anyone involved in advanced calculations of ellipsoidal shapes.

Adams2020
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TL;DR
How to get the surface area of an oblate ellipsoid in terms of ε?
In "An Introduction to Nuclear Physics by W. N. Cottingham, D. A. Greenwood" for the surface area of an oblate ellipsoid, the following equation is written for small values of ε :
An Introduction to Nuclear Physics  -Cambrid.png

The book has said this without proof.
I found the following formula for the desired shape:
2020-11-23 18_53_30-‪Oblate Spheroid -- from Wolfram MathWorld.png

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the result of the book with this formula. I used Taylor's expansions in the calculation, but unfortunately my result does not match the book. Help me, please!
 
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What did you get...it certainly works through order zero.
 
hutchphd said:
What did you get...it certainly works through order zero.
My final result is as follows:
4*pi*R^2 (1+ε+ (7/5)ε ^2+ (36/35)ε ^3 +...)
Which has a bad difference with the result of the book.:oldconfused:
 
There is no term linear in ##\epsilon## because the function is even...remember ##\epsilon=\frac c a ##. How did they define R in the first approximation?
 
hutchphd said:
There is no term linear in ##\epsilon## because the function is even...remember ##\epsilon=\frac c a ##. How did they define R in the first approximation?
My data is as follows:
2020-11-23 22_10_42-W. N. Cottingham, D. A. Greenwood - An Introduction to Nuclear Physics  -C...png
 
What then is c in your formula 2??
 
hutchphd said:
What then is c in your formula 2??
A similar formula was stated by our nuclear professor, but with the difference that there was b instead of c. So I thought in this case b = c
2020-11-23 22_39_06-W. N. Cottingham, D. A. Greenwood - An Introduction to Nuclear Physics  -C...png
 
I suggest double checking the definitions eccentricities (see wikipedia) and if you wish to show your complete calculation (all steps) I can perhaps help. Otherwise there are too many mystery definitions...certainly these should agree through order ##\epsilon^2##
 
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hutchphd said:
I suggest double checking the definitions eccentricities (see wikipedia) and if you wish to show your complete calculation (all steps) I can perhaps help. Otherwise there are too many mystery definitions...certainly these should agree through order ##\epsilon^2##
ok thanks
 

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