Tooltip
These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Four Crescents

A diagram is shown with a circle, centred on a rectangle with given dimensions.  Semi-circular arcs are drawn with the sides of the rectangle as diameters. The areas between the semi-circles and the circles form crescents. The task is to calculate the area of the crescents.

When working on the numerical example it becomes apparent that the total area of the crescents is equal to the area of the rectangle. A formal proof of this relies on ideas of area of a circle, Pythagoras’ theorem, and algebraic manipulation.

Show health and safety information

Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

Information on the permitted use of this resource is covered by the Category Three Content section in STEM Learning’s Terms and conditions.

Lists that tag this content