Definition:Method of Indivisibles

Definition

The method of indivisibles is a technique for calculating the physical extent of a geometric figure whose extremities are curved lines.

The technique is to divide the geometric figure up into slices, that is:

for an area, to divide a surface into lined placed side by side as a cloth is made of threads

for a volume, to divide a solid figure into planes stacked one on top of another like the pages of a book.

Also see

• Results about the method of indivisibles can be found here.

Historical Note

The method of indivisibles was presented by Bonaventura Francesco Cavalieri in his $1635$ work Geometria Indivisibilibus Continuorum Nova Quadam Ratione Promota, as an extension of Johannes Kepler's technique for finding volumes of revolution.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): calculus
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): indivisibles (method of)
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): calculus
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): indivisibles (method of)