planimeter

American  

[pluh-nim-i-ter] / pləˈnɪm ɪ tər /

noun

1. an instrument for measuring mechanically the area of plane figures.

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planimeter British  

/ plæˈnɪmɪtə /

noun

1. a mechanical integrating instrument for measuring the area of an irregular plane figure, such as the area under a curve, by moving a point attached to an arm around the perimeter of the figure

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Etymology

Origin of planimeter

First recorded in 1855–60; plani- + -meter

Example Sentences

In this project you investigate how a planimeter works, and you use Green’s theorem to show the device calculates area correctly.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

Assume the orientation of the planimeter is as shown in Figure 6.49.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

As the planimeter traces C, the pivot moves along the y-axis while the tracer arm rotates on the pivot.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

Instead of trying to measure the area of the region directly, we can use a device called a rolling planimeter to calculate the area of the region exactly, simply by measuring its boundary.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

General Construction of Planimeter The planimeter is an instrument for measuring areas in general, and especially for measuring the areas of indicator cards.

From Steam Engines Machinery's Reference Series, Number 70 by Anonymous