OK - I give. I don't know the source of the particular brew to which you refer, Larry. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Larry Holmes Sent: Monday, January 07, 2013 1:21 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] That dirty metric system On 1/7/2013 12:54 PM, Kim wrote:
I'm reminded of two different methods that Eratosthenes supposedly used to calculate the distance from Alexandria to Syrene. The Pharoahs, of course, had been measuring the distance for centuries but the technique was to measure the distance in terms of a caravan's time to make the journey, then multiply that time in days by the distance a camel could travel in a day. Legend has it that Eratosthenes also hired someone to step off the distance for him - about 525 miles. I wonder who the sucker was? In spite of his limitations, his calculation for the circumference of the earth was accurate to within less than two percent of today's accepted value - in meters, not in camel-miles.
Kim
And of course you all would instantly recognize the type of tea the poor sucker made on his/her trek? I never realized until today, the source of the brew. 73