Table of Contents
- 1 What was Eratosthenes most famous discovery?
- 2 How big did Eratosthenes think the earth was?
- 3 Who first discovered the size of the Earth?
- 4 Is the shape of the Earth?
- 5 What did Eratosthenes find about the circumference of the Earth?
- 6 When was Eratosthenes born and when did he die?
- 7 How many stars did Eratosthenes measure on the Moon?
What was Eratosthenes most famous discovery?
The measurement of Earth’s circumference
The measurement of Earth’s circumference is the most famous among the results obtained by Eratosthenes, who estimated that the meridian has a length of 252,000 stadia, with an error on the real value between −2.4% and +0.8% (assuming a value for the stadion between 155 and 160 metres).
How big did Eratosthenes think the earth was?
In 200 B.C. Eratosthenes estimated Earth’s circumference at about 46,250 kilometers (28,735 miles). Today we know our planet’s circumference is roughly 40,000 kilometers (24,850 miles).
Who Discovered size of Earth?
Eratosthenes of Cyrene
The first person to determine the size of Earth was Eratosthenes of Cyrene, who produced a surprisingly good measurement using a simple scheme that combined geometrical calculations with physical observations. Eratosthenes was born around 276 B.C., which is now Shahhat, Libya. He studied in Athens at the Lyceum.
Who first discovered the size of the Earth?
The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) is credited as the first person to try and calculate the size of the Earth by determining its circumference (the length around the equator) He estimated this distance to be 400,000 stades (a stadia is a Greek measurement equaling about 600 feet).
Is the shape of the Earth?
The Earth is an irregularly shaped ellipsoid. While the Earth appears to be round when viewed from the vantage point of space, it is actually closer to an ellipsoid. However, even an ellipsoid does not adequately describe the Earth’s unique and ever-changing shape.
Who is known as the father of history?
Herodotus
Herodotus is undoubtedly the “Father of History.” Born in Halicarnassus in Ionia in the 5th century B.C., he wrote “The Histories.” In this text are found his “inquiries” which later became to modern scholars to mean “facts of history.” He is best known for recounting, very objectively, the Greco-Persian wars of the …
What did Eratosthenes find about the circumference of the Earth?
The measurement of Earth’s circumference is the most famous among the results obtained by Eratosthenes, who estimated that the meridian has a length of 252,000 stadia, with an error on the real value between −2.4% and +0.8% (assuming a value for the stadion between 155 and 160 metres).
When was Eratosthenes born and when did he die?
Eratosthenes, in full Eratosthenes of Cyrene, (born c. 276 bce, Cyrene, Libya—died c. 194 bce, Alexandria, Egypt), Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet, who made the first measurement of the size of Earth for which any details are known. What were Eratosthenes’ major achievements?
What did Eratosthenes know about the summer solstice?
What is Eratosthenes famous for? Eratosthenes measured Earth’s circumference mathematically using two surface points to make the calculation. He noted that the Sun’s rays fell vertically at noon in Syene (now Aswān ), Egypt, at the summer solstice.
How many stars did Eratosthenes measure on the Moon?
He may have measured the distances from Earth to both the Moon and to the Sun, but the historical accounts of both deeds are rather cryptic. Eratosthenes also compiled a star catalog that included 675 stars. A crater on Earth’s Moon is named after Eratosthenes, as is a seamount in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.