NavList:

   

Reply

Sorry,

Newton apparently independently invented the double-reflecting
instrument 20-30 years ahead of Godfrey & Hadley(?, not sure if the
English guy was Hadley), and gave a secret presentation to the Royal
about it.

Fred

On Sep 26, 2007, at 1:11 AM, frankreed@HistoricalAtlas.net wrote:

>
> I wrote:
> "Consider: how would those folks who recommended the prize have
> known back
> in 1714 that there would be a device invented, twenty years in
> their future,
> that could reliably measure angles to about 1' of arc?"
>
> And Fred, you replied:
> "Newton would have made his secret presentation to the Royal about
> then.  He
> worked on the moon orbit problem."
>
> Fred, I can't figure out what you're talking about here. The fact that
> Newton worked on the 'moon orbit problem' has nothing to do with
> the ability
> to measure angles to some specified accuracy. As for his "secret
> presentation" perhaps you should elaborate on what you think this
> implies.
>
> And I asked:
> "Who in the world suggested that 1' of arc was the limit of
> accuracy for
> such measurements?"
>
> You replied with one word, "Newton". I'm sorry, but I think you've
> got two
> separate lines of reasoning confused here. Newton was certainly
> aware that a
> certain level of accuracy in lunar distance observations and
> predicted lunar
> distances would be required to achieve a given level of accurcay in
> longitude determination. But that's a trivial matter that anyone with
> passing skill in astronomy could work out. He certainly didn't
> offer any
> predictions on the ultimate limits of angular measurements. Nor did
> his
> suggestions "set up" the lunar distance method as the intended
> winner of the
> Longitude Prize.
>
>  -FER
>
>
> >



--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com
To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

   

Reply