An Elementary Derivation of the Oriented Area Formula for Parametric Simple Closed Curves from the Shoelace Theorem
Journal of the Korean Society of Mathematical Education Series B: Theoretical Mathematics and Pedagogical Mathematics / Journal of the Korean Society of Mathematical Education Series B: Theoretical Mathematics and Pedagogical Mathematics, (P)3059-0604; (E)3059-1309
2026, v.33 no.2, pp.197-211
https://doi.org/10.7468/jksmeb.2026.33.2.197
Ik-seung Lyou
Hyeokdeuk Kwon
Seungsoo Kim
Ik-seung,
L.
, Hyeokdeuk,
K.
, &
Seungsoo,
K.
(2026). An Elementary Derivation of the Oriented Area Formula for Parametric Simple Closed Curves from the Shoelace Theorem, 33(2), 197-211, https://doi.org/10.7468/jksmeb.2026.33.2.197
Abstract
This paper presents an elementary derivation of the oriented area formula Area(D)= {1} over {2} int _{a} ^{b} {(x(t)y prime (t)−y(t)x prime (t))} dt for a parametrized simple closed curve. Instead of taking Green’s theorem as a starting point, we construct inscribed polygons from a partition of the parameter interval, apply the Shoelace formula to each polygon, and pass to the limit through a Riemann-sum argument. This approach makes the geometric origin of the area integrand explicit and provides a bridge between polygonal area computation and line-integral area formulas. As an application, we compare two similar four-petal-type curves and verify that they have the same enclosed area while having slightly different perimeters.
- keywords
-
Shoelace formula,
oriented area,
simple closed curve,
parametric curve,
Green’s theorem,
Riemann sum