Method of exhaustion

The Method of Exhaustion is a way of finding the area or volume of a shape that is not easily defined in terms of traditional shapes.

The process, the creation of which is credited to Eudoxus, is performed by estimating the area or volume using a number of known shapes which, when put together, provide a reasonable estimation of the volume or area. Using more, smaller shapes will, of course, improve this estimation. Using an infinite number of such shapes to find the area or volume exactly is the purpose of Integral Calculus, which has made this process obsolete.