mˈɛʒɚɹɪŋ wɪð ɹˈuːlɚz, wˈʌn kæn ɐpɹˈɑːksɪmˌeɪt ðə lˈɛŋθ əvə kˈɜːv baɪ ˈædɪŋ ðə sˈʌm ʌvðə stɹˈeɪt lˈaɪnz wˌɪtʃ kənˈɛkt ðə pˈɔɪnts:
Measuring with rulers, one can approximate the length of a curve by adding the sum of the straight lines which connect the points: