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#1 2005-08-26 23:47:40
- ahgua
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Strange formula
There is a formula to find area of any polygon drawn on a graph.
Suppose the vertices of the polygon are (x1,y1) ; (x2,y2) ; (x3,y3) ; (x4,y4).
Area of the polygon on the graph = 1/2 x | x1y2 + x2y3 + x3y4 + x4y1 - x2y1 - x3y2 - x4y3 - x1y4 |
| | is the absolute sign.
How do you prove that this formula is true?
P.S. The textbook didn't teach me this!
Last edited by ahgua (2005-08-27 01:45:27)
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#2 2005-08-27 03:28:15
- kylekatarn
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Re: Strange formula
I think that can be done with vector product and matrix determinants
the expression inside the module looks like a determinant's result
...+...+...+...-...-...-
#3 2005-08-27 08:28:24
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Strange formula
I wrote a program to do this once.
Draw the polygon on a sheet of graph paper.
Pick the first line and work out the area from that line down to the x axis (it is just the average of the heights times the x-difference), at this stage it helps to sketch this!
Now do the same for the second line and proceed around the polygon.
Then just add up the areas! (Note: some areas will be negative, as I said, it helps to sketch it.)
So the area would be:
(x2-x1)*(y1+y2)/2
(x3-x2)*(y2+y3)/2 +
(x4-x3)*(y3+y4)/2 +
(x1-x4)*(y4+y1)/2 +
(This might end up the negative of the area, so the || can be used later)
Anyway, if you rearrange that, you might get your product formula.
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#4 2005-08-28 20:09:19
- wcy
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Re: Strange formula
i think it can be proven by dividing the polygon into many smaller polygons, eg triangles