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Calculus · Optimization

Circle Area — A = πr²

Drag r. Watch A(r) trace live. dA/dr and d²A/dr² tell you where area is momentarily flat, and whether that flat point is a peak or a floor.

Circle growing

3.00 units
camera zoom = 1.0×

A(r) trace dA/dr > 0

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Derivatives at this instant

Area A
28.27
π · r²
dA/dr — exact rate of growth
18.85
2π · r (limit as Δr → 0)
ΔA — actual strip volume (Δr fixed)
A(r+Δr) − A(r) vs. dA/dr · Δr
d²A/dr² — curvature
6.28
2π (constant)
Critical point (dA/dr = 0)
r = 0
only solution to 2πr = 0

Why A = πr²? — cut into sectors, unfold into a rectangle

12 sector-pairs
unfold = 0.00
As the number of sectors grows, the zigzag straightens into a rectangle: base = half the circumference = πr, height = r. Area = base × height = πr · r = πr² — exactly the circle's area, since cutting and rearranging never changes total area.
dA/dr = 2πr  →  zero only at r = 0. d²A/dr² = 2π > 0 everywhere  →  concave up.
So r = 0 is a strict minimum (A = 0), and A(r) has no interior maximum — it grows without bound as r increases.
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