Planimeter: A Magical Tool to Calculate Area
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/hset.v15i.2641Keywords:
A Specific Combination of Rods and Wheels; Area of Closed Curve; Planimeter.Abstract
It might sound unbelievable that a specific combination of rods and wheels can be used to calculate the area of any closed curve, especially after hearing that it was invented in the 19th century. The magical tool is called planimeter and it achieves high accuracy in measuring an area by merely tracing around its boundary once using the tracer. The planimeter’s advent has brought immeasurable convenience in surveying and measuring. This article introduces the main versions of it, including its history, mechanics, and the working principle.
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References
Foote, R. L. (2009). Pre-Amsler Planimeters. Http://persweb. wabash.edu/ facstaff/ footer/ Planimeter/ PreAmsler.htm.
Foote, R. L. (2009). How planimeters work. Http://persweb. wabash.edu/ facstaff/footer/ Planimeter/ HowPlanimetersWork.htm.
Foote, R. L. (2009). Prytz Planimeters. http://persweb. wabash.edu/ facstaff/ footer/ Planimeter/ Prytz/ Prytz.htm.
Casselman, B., Eggers, J. (2008). The Mathematics of Surveying: Part II. The Planimeter. American Mathematical Society Feature Column, June-July. http://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/feature-column/ fcarc-surveying-two.
Eggers, J. (2020). A Closer Look at the Compensating Polar Planimeter. The College Mathematics Journal, 51:2, 105-116, DOI: 10.1080/07468342.2020.1702852.
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