Extracting a Square Root with a Semi Circle
The diagram below is via René Descartes' 1637 La Géométrie.
See www.jonathancrabtree.com/1600s/1637-RDESCARTES_Extract_The_Geometry.pdf
DRAG x left or right with your mouse.
MOVE IMAGE > Hold Shift and move the diagram on the screen with your mouse.
ZOOM IMAGE > Hold Shift and zoom in and out with your mouse wheel.
Reset the Applet to the default by clicking the icon top right.
Line segments are proportional to the real numbers they can represent.
For a fun applet showing multiplication via circles, goto http://bit.ly/Multiplication_with_a_Circle
For a fun applet showing multiplication via triangles, goto http://bit.ly/Multiplication_with_Triangles
For a fun applet showing division via circles, goto http://bit.ly/Division_with_a_Circle
So have fun!
Jonathan Crabtree
www.jonathancrabtree.com/mathematics
www.linkedin.com/in/jonathancrabtree
P.S. Goto http://bit.ly/Proportional_Co-Variation to learn more about Proportional Co-Variation.