Eratosthenes sun experiment. Eratosthenes teaching in Alexandria.

Eratosthenes sun experiment. Mar 8, 2019 · Around the year 240 BC the Greek scholar Eratosthenes realised the significance of certain observations based on shadows cast by the sun. In any case, his work came after that of Aristarchus who wrote a huge treatise on the distance between the Earth and the Sun and Moon. The calculation is based on the assumption that the Earth is spherical and that the Sun is so far away that its rays can be taken as parallel. Painting by Bernardo Strozzi (1581-1644). Sep 14, 2020 · It is unlikely that Eratosthenes assumed the Sun was infinitely distant, since he apparently also estimated the distance to the Sun himself. If the sun is nearby, then shadows will change length even for a flat earth. Jun 21, 2015 · The method consists of putting a staff on the floor exposed to the sun, measure its shadow when the sun is at its highest point, deduce the angle of the solar rays compared with the vertical staff, then exchange your results with another class under another latitude. Not only did he show that the Earth is not flat, he did an experiment to measure the circumference of the spherical Earth. Method of Eratosthenes for estimation of the circumference of the Earth Eratosthenes also knew that on the same date and time, at Syene (modern day Aswan, in Egypt) located (approximately) on the same meridian line as Alexandria and at a distance of S = 5,000 stadia (a unit used for measuring distance at his time), the rays of the Sun fell directly vertically on to a well. He also Eratosthenes erected a pole in Alexandria, and on the summer solstice he observed that it cast a shadow, proving that the Sun was not directly overhead but slightly south. If you would like to perform the experiment by yourself on a date other than the 22nd of September, you can use this simulator to find the exact angle from your school to the place where the sun rays are perpendicular to the ground. Recognizing the curvature of the Earth and knowing the distance between the two cities enabled Eratosthenes to calculate the planet’s circumference. However, last year the experiment showed that the Sun can disappear from our sky for several One of the ways to comprehend the thinking of Eratosthenes is to draw the Earth and Sun, showing the angles between the Earth’s core and the lines representing the rays of the Sun. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria. Eratosthenes will always be remembered for the calculation of the Earth's circumference circa 240 BC, using trigonometry and knowledge of the angle of elevation of the Sun at noon in Alexandria and Syene (now Aswan, Egypt). Details of his method he In 205 BC, Eratosthenes successfully determined the circumference of the Earth by measuring the length of the shadow cast by a rod. 2222 years after that, some flat-Earthers tried to refute the Eratosthenes experiment. 276 BC – c. By using the simple Eratosthenes of Cyrene (/ ɛrəˈtɒsθəniːz /; Ancient Greek: Ἐρατοσθένης [eratostʰénɛːs]; c. He did the measurement in Alexandria and timed it to coincidence when the Sun is directly overhead Syene. 195/194 BC) was an Ancient Greek polymath: a mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. Eratosthenes teaching in Alexandria. See full list on scienceinschool. His work is comparable to the modern-day discipline of geography. Mar 6, 2025 · Eratosthenes’ ingenious shadow experiment used simple geometry and keen observation to calculate Earth's circumference with remarkable accuracy, proving the power of scientific reasoning over two thousand years ago. It is preferable to follow the steps as suggested hereafter, starting with an experiment at Sun. org Eratosthenes' model depends on the assumption that the sun is far away and therefore produces parallel rays of light all over the earth. b6rjs zlezp tcy anaif arfbq sp ocrdgo pulup fon igw