Eratosthenes Research Paper

216 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Eratosthenes in brief

Born in c.276 BC, Eratosthenes was a Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet. He made the first measurement, which showed Earth’s size. Best known as the first person who calculated the circumference of the Earth, Eratosthenes of Cyrene, living in the time around 276 BC, developed a measuring system using a standard unit of measure called the stadia. This form of standard measurement during the time assisted Eratosthenes with calculating very accurately. He studied the way in which the Sun’s rays fell vertically at noon on the summer solstice while in Alexandria Egypt. Eratosthenes correctly guessed that the distance from the Earth to the Sun was very great and that the Sun’s rays are practically parallel when they reach the Earth.

Show More
Related

  • Nicolai Copernicus

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever wondered who discovered that the sun is the center of our universe? If so, the answer is Nicolai Copernicus. This man was a well-respected as well as well educated man. He explored many different subjects including mathematics, medicine, canon law, and his favorite astronomy. The Earth-centered universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy were Western thinking for almost 2000 years until the 16th century when Copernicus proposed his theory.

    Read More

  • Columbus And Columbus: Ideas And Views Of Columbus

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    After 3rd century BC, Eratosthenes calculation about Earth's circumference was used correctly in different locations such as Alexandria and syene (Aswan now) by simple geometry and the shadows cast. Eratosthenes's results undertaken in 1ST century by Posidonius, were corroborated in Alexandria and Rhodes by the comparison between remarks is excellent.

    Read More

  • Greek Influences on Western Civilization

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    Geometry, a cornerstone in modern civilization, also had its beginnings in Ancient Greece. Euclid, a mathematician, formed many geometric proofs and theories [Document 5]. He also came to one of the most significant discoveries of math, Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.

    Read More

  • Ptolemy’s Astronomy

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    Greek mathematics began during the 6th century B.C.E. However, we do not know much about why people did mathematics during that time. There are no records of mathematicians’ thoughts about their work, their goals, or their methods (Hodgkin, 40). Regardless of the motivation for pursuing mathematical astronomy, we see some impressive mathematical books written by Hippocrates, Plato, Eudoxus, Euclid, Archimedes, Apollonius, Hipparchus, Heron and Ptolemy. I will argue that Ptolemy was the most integral part of the history of Greek astronomy.

    Read More

  • Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution: A Comparative Study

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first record of the movement of the planets was produced by Nicolaus Copernicus. He proposed that the earth was the center of everything, which the term is called geocentric. Kepler challenged the theory that the sun was the center of the earth and proposed that the sun was the center of everything; this term is referred to as heliocentric. Kepler’s heliocentric theory was accepted by most people and is accepted in today’s society. One of Kepler’s friends was a famous person named Galileo. Galileo is known for improving the design and the magnification of the telescope. With improvement of the telescope Galileo could describe the craters of the moon and the moons of Jupiter. Galileo also created the number for acceleration of all free falling objects as 9.8 meters per second. Galileo’s and Kepler’s theories were not approved by all people. Their theories contradicted verses in the bible, so the protestant church was extremely skeptical of both Galileo and Kepler’s

    Read More

  • Hermes Research Paper

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hermes might have more to do with the human race’s everyday life than most people think. Hermes was the messenger of the gods, and the god of travel, business, and sports. He traveled with his winged sandals and winged hat. The god of helped and protected many mortals. On jobs he and his men could make anyone fall asleep instantly if a problem occurred. Hermes might have invented some things in the human race’s everyday lives. Hermes was an essential god in ancient Greek culture.

    Read More

  • Zeus Research Paper

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zeus was a greek god he ruled all the other gods and he was the ruler of the sky. His choice of weapon was a lighting bolt. Zeus’s symbol was a thunderbolt,eagle,bull and oak. One myth about Zeus is that he is the youngest out of his brothers and sisters. Zeus had a relationship with Hera is wife.

    Read More

  • Aristarchus

    351 Words  | 1 Pages

    Aristarchus lived from about the year 310 B.C. to about 230 B.C. Aristarchus was the first Greek philosopher and mathematician to make sense of the solar system. Others before him thought that the Earth is a sphere and that it moves, but he was the first to understand the heliocentric theory, which states that the sun is in the middle. In 288 or 287 B.C. he followed Theophrastus as the head of the Peripatetic School established by Aristotle.

    Read More

  • Nostradamus

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    When his grandfather died, Nostradamus was sent to Avignon to study. He already showed a great interest in astrology and it became common talk among his fellow students. He upheld the Copernican theory that the world was round and circled around the sun more than 100 years before Galileo was prosecuted for the same belief.

    Read More

  • Maimonides Research Paper

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Grant me the strength, time and opportunity always to correct what I have acquired, always to extend its domain; for knowledge is immense and the spirit of man can extend indefinitely to enrich itself daily with new requirements.” - Oath of Maimonides

    Read More

  • Galileo Galilei Research Paper

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He was a mathematics professor who made pioneering observations of nature with long-lasting implications for the study of physics. Galileo constructed a machine that changed everything in astronomy, the telescope, and this supported the Copernican theory. In 1600, Galileo met Marina Gamba, a Venetian woman, who gave him three children. The daughters were Virginia and Livia, and son Vincenzo. But He never married Marina because he feared his illegitimate children would threaten his social standing. He died in Arcetri, Italy, on January 8, 1642.

    Read More

  • Cleisthenes Research Paper

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cleisthenes is an important figure in ancient Greece, he was the father of democracy. Cleisthenes was born in the year 570 bc. in the city-state of Athens. He was born into a rich family that raised him to be a nobleman. At the time when Cleisthenes was being raised there was a great divide in normal citizens against their wealthy noble rulers. As a young boy he had great expectations to live up to, his grandfather was the ruler of Sicyon, a great Olympian, and was famous all over Greece.

    Read More

  • Scientific Empiricism

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1513, Nicholas Copernicus, composed a brief theory that stated that the sun is at rest and the earth is in rotation around the sun. In 1543, just days before his death, Copernicus published this theory in On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. This theory was meant to dissolve the long lived belief in Ptolemyís theory which stated, "The earth was at the center because it was the heaviest of objects(Kagan331)." This was a common belief at that time, which supported the religious beliefs that the earth was the center of the universe and God in the heavens were surrounding the earth. Copernicusís theory was shocking, but he published such a controversial theory without sufficient evidence, it had to be considered invalid.

    Read More

  • Mathematics: The History of Pi

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Archimedes has been credited as being the first to actually calculate an accurate estimate of pi by finding the areas of two polygons. Inside the polygons was an inscribed circle. An example is in the picture shown below (Shell, 2013):

    Read More

  • History of Physics

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Physics began when man first started to study his surroundings. Early applications of physics include the invention of the wheel and of primitive weapons. The people who built Stone Henge had knowledge of physical mechanics in order to move the rocks and place them on top of each other. It was not until during the period of Greek culture that the first systematic treatment of physics started with the use of mechanics. Thales is often said to have been the first scientist, and the first Greek philosopher. He was an astronomer, merchant and mathematician, and after visiting Egypt he is said to have originated the science of deductive geometry. He also discovered theorems of elementary geometry and is said to have correctly predicted an eclipse of the sun. Many of his studies were in astronomy but he also observed static electricity. Phythogoras was a Greek philosopher. He discovered simple numerical ratios relating the musical tones of major consonances, to the length of the strings used in sounding them. The Pythagorean theorem was named after him, although this fundamental statements of deductive geometry was most likely first an idea from Egyptian methods of measurements. With the help of his followers he discovered that the earth was a sphere, but he did not believe it revolved around the sun.

    Read More

More about Eratosthenes Research Paper

Open Document