Area of a Circle by Rearranging Wedges

Authors

Kenneth E. Caviness, Southern Adventist UniversityFollow
Ruthann J. Hartman, Southern Adventist UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 2025

Abstract

The area of a circle is cut into wedges which are then rearranged to form a parallelogram-like figure, animating the derivation of the formula for the area of the circle from the foundational ideas of Archimedes and the later contributions of Leonardo da Vinci. The number of wedges is user selectable, and the animation can be paused at any stage. As the number of wedges increases, the area approaches that of the actual parallelogram, shown to be (r)(πr) = π r^2.

Recommended Citation

Caviness, Kenneth E. and Hartman, Ruthann J., "Area of a Circle by Rearranging Wedges" (2025). Faculty Works. 40.
https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/facworks_physics/40