How to find the objects' areas in this photo in mm^2?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the cross-sectional areas of bone images in square millimeters (mm²). Participants explore various methods and tools for calculating these areas, including online applications and techniques for measuring dimensions accurately.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about online applications that can calculate areas instantly.
  • There are suggestions for different methods to find the areas, but participants express uncertainty about the required accuracy.
  • One participant questions whether each square in the provided figure represents 1 mm², which is clarified to be a grid background from Microsoft Paint.
  • Another participant emphasizes the need to know the dimensions of the images to calculate the area accurately.
  • Participants discuss the possibility of determining which bone cross-section has a larger area without a grid, suggesting alternative techniques.
  • Links to various online resources and tools for area calculation are shared, with notes on the necessity of calibrating a scale for accurate measurements.
  • Clarification is provided that the hollow center of the bone diagrams does not contribute to the cross-sectional area, focusing only on the cortical bone.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on a single method for calculating the areas, and multiple competing views and approaches remain throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants express limitations in their understanding of the dimensions and scaling of the images, which affects their ability to calculate the areas accurately.

Rev. Cheeseman
Messages
360
Reaction score
21
o.png


Hello, how to find the area in mm2 for both bone cross sections? Are there any online applications that allow us to instantly calculate areas? Thank you.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
What are your thoughts on this? There are at least a couple ways that I know of to do this, but it would be better if you gave us your thoughts first. What accuracy is required for this?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: mcastillo356
berkeman said:
What are your thoughts on this? There are at least a couple ways that I know of to do this, but it would be better if you gave us your thoughts first. What accuracy is required for this?

Sorry, I don't understand because I only want to find the cross sectional areas for both bone cross sections. The right bone cross section seems to be bigger than the other but what about their cross sectional areas in mm2? Maybe the areas for both are the same?
 
Does each little square in the figure represent ##1mm^2##?
 
Rev. Cheeseman said:
Sorry, I don't understand because I only want to find the cross sectional areas for both bone cross sections. The right bone cross section seems to be bigger than the other but what about their cross sectional areas in mm2? Maybe the areas for both are the same?
You did not respond to Berkeman's statement
berkeman said:
it would be better if you gave us your thoughts first.
Which was a polite request that you follow the forum rules and show us what effort you have made to solve your problem.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Mark44 and berkeman
berkeman said:
Does each little square in the figure represent ##1mm^2##?

No. It is just a grid background that I enabled in Microsoft Paint.
 
phinds said:
You did not respond to Berkeman's statement

Which was a polite request that you follow the forum rules and show us what effort you have made to solve your problem.

I can't solve it because I don't know how to find the area in mm2 for both cross sections.
 
Well then how are we supposed to find the cross-sectional area in ##mm^2##?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: mcastillo356
berkeman said:
Well then how are we supposed to find the cross-sectional area in ##mm^2##?

Wait, I'll try another way to make grids so everyone can get what I want to find
 
  • #10
Rev. Cheeseman said:
Wait, I'll try another way to make grids
That would help. BTW, if you just need to know which one has more cross-sectional area, there is a way to do that without a grid. You can even obtain the ratio of the cross-sectional areas using that technique.

Just to verify -- the center portions of the bone diagrams are open, and don't contribute to the cross-sectional areas, right?
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Rev. Cheeseman
  • #12
Rev. Cheeseman said:
No. It is just a grid background that I enabled in Microsoft Paint.
If you don't know the dimensions of the two images, you can't find the area. One thing to do would be to get the widths of each bone cross-section, and then figure out the size of each square on your grid relative to the width of each bone cross-section. Once you have this figured out, count how many squares each bone section covers, not counting the hollow part in each.
 
  • Informative
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Rev. Cheeseman and mcastillo356
  • #13
Rev. Cheeseman said:
Hello, how to find the area in mm2 for both bone cross sections? Are there any online applications that allow us to instantly calculate areas? Thank you.
https://imagej.net/ij/
has an online version.
https://imagej.net/ij/docs/menus/analyze.html

But, as others have said, you need to calibrate a scale.
Without one, the best one can do is get the "area fraction" (the terminology used in imageJ).
 
  • Like
  • Informative
Likes   Reactions: Lord Jestocost, Rev. Cheeseman, berkeman and 1 other person
  • #14
berkeman said:
That would help. BTW, if you just need to know which one has more cross-sectional area, there is a way to do that without a grid. You can even obtain the ratio of the cross-sectional areas using that technique.

Just to verify -- the center portions of the bone diagrams are open, and don't contribute to the cross-sectional areas, right?
Yes, the hollow center is excluded. Only the cortical bone.
 
  • Informative
Likes   Reactions: berkeman

Similar threads

  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
7K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
834
Replies
25
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
832
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
6K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
8K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K