Experiment 3

Title:-

To calculate the area of irregular shapes by planimeter.

Objective:-

 To Study the working of planimeter.

 To find out area of irregular figures using Planimeter.

Problem statement:-

Sometimes we have to calculate the the area of shape (2-D) that might be a regular or an irregular one ,
so to find out quickly the areas of those figures planimeters is used.it is available is market as manual and
digitals ones. Planimeters have been used in cartography, ship design, local government, surveying, and
sometimes just as a mathematical tool to calculate the area inside some curve

Apparatus:-

 Planimeter
 Drawing Paper
 Pins
 Drawing Accessories

Theory:-

Planimeter
A planimeter, also known as a platometer, is a measuring instrument used to determine the area of an arbitrary two-
dimensional shape. Planimeters didn't calculate in the sense of allowing a user to enter some numbers and producing a
result. They did, however, solve a tedious and common problem - that of determining the area of some closed shape. In
other words these devices were integrating machines.

To use a planimeter, the user set up the device, zeroed the recording wheels and then traced the pointer all the way around
a closed shape (typically a clockwise direction was used to produce a positive result.) The area could then be read directly
off the dials. Better planimeters allowed adjustments to allow the device to read in various units and scales. Other units
simply read in a fixed scale such as square centimeters and required the results to be scaled to the units required.
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Planimeters were made in a number of ways. The devices shown below are Polar Planimeters. To use them, the user set
pole weight on the desk usually outside the area to be measured. The pole weight sometimes had one or more pins in the
bottom to make it stay put. The pole arm connected the pole weight to the carriage and the tracer arm connected the tracer
point to the carriage. This caused the carriage to always move around a semi-circle regardless of the shape the tracer point
followed .A planimeter, also known as a platometer, is a measuring instrument used to determine the area of an
arbitrary two-dimensional shape. A planimeter is an analogue device for extracting numerical data from a
drawing or a map. The simplest device is one for measuring the length of a route on a map. It consists of a small
wheel

connected to a counter, and is simply rolled along the route, keeping it aligned so that the plane of the wheel
points along the direction of motion. These are very cheap to make. The device is most useful if the size of the
wheel, and any gearing, is chosen so that the reading is directly in miles or kilometers.

Types and construction of Planimeters:

Polar planimeter

The polar planimeter is restricted by design to measuring areas within limits determined by its
size and geometry. However, the linear type has no restriction in one dimension, because it can roll. Its wheels
must not slip, because the movement must be constrained to a straight line.Linear planimeter.

Amsler planimeter 

The Amsler (polar) type consists of a two-bar linkage. At the end of one link is a pointer,
used to trace around the boundary of the shape to be measured. The other end of the linkage pivots freely on a
weight that keeps it from moving. Near the junction of the two links is a measuring wheel of calibrated
diameter, with a scale to show fine rotation, and worm gearing for an auxiliary turns counter scale. As the area
outline is traced, this wheel rolls on the surface of the drawing. The operator sets the wheel, turns the counter to
zero, and then traces the pointer around the perimeter of the shape. When the tracing is complete, the scales at
the measuring wheel show the shape's area.

When the planimeter's measuring wheel moves perpendicular to its axis, it rolls, and this movement is recorded.
When the measuring wheel moves parallel to its axis, the wheel skids without rolling, so this movement is
ignored. That means the planimeter measures the distance that its measuring wheel travels, projected
perpendicularly to the measuring wheel's axis of rotation. The area of the shape is proportional to the number of
turns through which the measuring wheel rotates.

Prytz planimeter
The Prytz planimeter is a simple example of a system governed by a nonholonomic constraint.
It is unique among planimeters in that it measures something more subtle than area, combining the area,
centroid and other moments of the region being measured, with weights depending on the length of the
planimeter. As a tool for measuring area, it is most accurate for regions that are small relative to its length

Principle of planimeter

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 The working of the linear planimeter may be explained by measuring the area of a rectangle
ABCD (see image). Moving with the pointer from A to B the arm EM moves through the yellow parallelogram,
with area equal to PQ×EM. This area is also equal to the area of the parallelogram A"ABB". The measuring
wheel measures the distance PQ (perpendicular to EM). Moving from C to D the arm EM moves through the
green parallelogram, with area equal to the area of the rectangle D"DCC". The measuring wheel now moves in
the opposite direction, subtracting this reading from the former. The movements along BC and DA are the same
but opposite, so they cancel each other with no net effect on the reading of the wheel. The net result is the
measuring of the difference of the yellow and green areas, which is the area of ABCD.

Working of Planimeter:

These planimeters are used by moving the tracer point around the boundary of the region being measured.   As
the tracer point moves the wheel partially rolls and partially slides on the paper, recording its motion
perpendicular to the tracer arm.  It turns out that when the tracer point returns to the point where it started, the
net roll of the wheel is proportional to the area of the region.  If a scale attached to the wheel is calibrated
appropriately, the area can be read from the scale.

The picture on the left shows the planimeter ready to measure the area of a region. The tracer point is equipped
with a magnifying glass to make it easier follow the curve.  The box at the left end of the tracer arm is a carriage
containing the wheel and the counter with its scale.  The wheel rests lightly on the paper and can roll when the
tracer point is moved.  The pole is at the top and is held in place by a weighted block that allows the pole arm to
pivot. The axis of the wheel is easily seen on the underside of the carriage.  The wheel itself is a steel disk
attached directly to the cylinder with the scale.  The plastic wheel on the same axis is slightly smaller than the
steel one and do not contacts the paper.  It is used to set the scale to zero.

The two planimeters differ in the movement of the end of the tracer arm opposite the tracer point.  In the linear
planimeter, that end is restricted to move along a straight line.  The drawing suggests that it runs along a track,
but a more common way to cause this motion is to have this end attached to a set of wheels that are fixed to an
axis so that the wheels turn together.  In the polar planimeter, the end opposite the tracer point is restricted to
move along a circle.  This is done by making that point the hinge between the tracer arm and a secondary arm,
one end of which the pole is fixed.

Procedure:-

 Draw an irregular shape of which you want to calculate the area.

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  Adjust a scale for that shape on the graph paper.
 Hold the tracer point and move that to the parameter of the irregular shape.
 As the tracer point moves the wheel partially rolls and partially slides on the paper.
 Then see the reading from Vernier scale disc and drum of planimeter.
 Find the actual area of irregular shape.
 Then find the error by comparing the actual and measured area of planimeter.

Observations:-

Sr. Name of Shape Area by Area by Percentage

No. Planimeter(in^2 calculation(in^2) Error (%)
)

1 Square 4 4 0

2 Rectangle 4.31 4.5 4.22

3 Circle 3.29 3.14 4.60

4 Triangle 2.86 3.0 4.66

Specific Calculation:-

Relative error = (4-4/4)=0

% Error = (0)*100= 0%

Result:-

We can see that area calculated by planimeter and actual area of the shapes have distinct values
indicating that errors might exist here. This is due to vibrational movements of hands less precision of apparatus
, the unsmoothness of table beings used for performing , visional effects because of very small divisional
readings e.t.c.

Comments:-
There is a difference between actual and measured areas of figures, it points that some errors exists there
while taking reading they might be personal or might be apparatus error.
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