# Math Help - Random point in an oblate spheroid?

1. ## Random point in an oblate spheroid?

First off, I'm not sure this is the right place for this topic. It was a best guess (And I'm sorry if I have it in the wrong place.)

I'm NOT a math or geometry guy. In this case I know i have all the pieces in front of me but I can't seem to put them together properly.

I'm writing a program that has to find a random point in an oblate spheroid.

--The problem--

My inputs:
P -- A proportion (example: 200% width/height)
H -- The z-axis height of the spheroid (unit of measurement doesn't matter)

What I need:
A random point in the oblate spheroid that is defined by the inputs.

From Oblate spheroidal coordinates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I can see that I have four variables to define. Call them a,u,v,p since I can't get the greek letters here. (a being radius on the x,y axis, u being the positive non-negative real constant, v being a number between postive and negative 90 and p being a negative between positive and negative 180.

I can easily get a random v,p (which gives me a random point on the surface of the spheroid defined by a,u,v,p). The only other factor I need to randomize is a (which again i can do).

What I don't understand is how to find the relationship between my inputs P and H and the constant u and radius a.

How do I find u and a using P and H?

Can anybody help simplify this for me?

2. ## Re: Random point in an oblate spheroid?

...After some thought it became apparent that I was right. ...I did have all the pieces.