ðə pɹɪvˈeɪlɪŋ mˈɛθəd ʌv ˈɛstᵻmˌeɪɾɪŋ ðə lˈɛŋθ əvə bˈoːɹdɚ ɔːɹ kˈoʊstlaɪn wʌz tə lˈeɪ ˈaʊt ˈɛn ˈiːkwəl stɹˈeɪtlˈaɪn sˈɛɡmənts ʌv lˈɛŋθ lˌɛɾɚtˈuːwˈʌnwˈʌnθɹˈiː wɪð dᵻvˈaɪdɚz ˌɔn ɐ mˈæp ɔːɹ ˈɛɹɪəl fˈoʊɾəɡɹˌæf.
The prevailing method of estimating the length of a border (or coastline) was to lay out n equal straight-line segments of length ℓ with dividers on a map or aerial photograph.