--------- #1449 Eratosthenes measures the Earth.
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-Eratosthenes was a Greek scholar in the 3rd century B.C. He knew the Earth was a sphere even 1,700 years before Columbus. Eratosthenes set about to determine how bid the Earth was.
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- He lived in the town of Syene, Egypt. today this town is know as Aswan. He noticed that on the Summer Solstice, June 21, the longest day of the year that the Sun was directly overhead. the sunlight would shine to the bottom of a deep well in the center of the town of Syene.
- Eratosthenes traveled to the town of Alexander which was 50 days by camel. When it was the same time on June 21st, the Sun was not directly overhead because he was farther north. He took is 10 foot staff and noted its shadow as 16 inches long on the ground.
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- He knew that an average days ride by camel would cover 10.5 miles. The entire trip took 50 days.
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- He had enough information to calculate the circumference of the Earth.
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- Can you get the answer he got?
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