Eccentricity in mathematics, particularly in the context of conic sections, is always non-negative.
Eccentricity is a measure of how much a conic section deviates from being a perfect circle. It is a ratio of the distance between the focus and the directrix to the distance between the focus and a point on the conic section.
Here's a breakdown of how eccentricity relates to different conic sections:
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Circle: Eccentricity = 0
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Ellipse: 0 < Eccentricity < 1
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Parabola: Eccentricity = 1
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Hyperbola: Eccentricity > 1
A negative eccentricity would not correspond to any real-world conic section, making it an invalid value in this context.
