The document discusses how cross-sectional area is calculated using the formula A = πR^2, where A is the area, π is a constant equal to 3.14, and R is the radius. It provides examples showing that if the diameter is doubled from 300mm to 500mm, the radius increases from 150mm to 250mm. By doubling the diameter, the cross-sectional area increases by a factor of 4, since area is proportional to the square of the radius. So doubling the radius causes the area to be multiplied by 4.