Clever way to determine area of irregular shape... I recall seeing a clever method to estimate the area of an irregular shape.  It involved probabilities/ratios/proportions and superimposing the shape onto a 10x10 grid (area=100).  

You then randomly scatter 100 pebbles/grains of sand/etc over the grid and see what percentage fall inside the shape.  The area of the shape is a percentage of the total area of 100 (the percentage of pebbles that fell inside the shape)..

Is there a better explanation of this concept somewhere?
Does it use a grid/area of surrounding area?
Was the example best explained with pebbles or sand or something else?
It's called Monte Carlo Method. –  Kaster Nov 21 at 21:11
It's called Monte Carlo Method. –  Kaster Nov 21 at 21:11