Eratosthenes

Greek scholar, geographer and astronomer Eratosthenes (c.76 BCE 194 BCE) was orn !n C"rene, #orth $%r!ca (now &hahhat, '! "a). #e!ther the e(act date o% h!s !rth or o% h!s death !n $le(andr!a, Eg"pt !s known. )e was the %!rst s"stemat!c geographer o% ant!*+!t", the d!rector o% the l! rar" at $le(andr!a, a mathemat!c!an, poet, ph!losopher, h!stor!an, ph!lolog!st, chronolog!st, and rep+tedl" one o% the most learned men o% ant!*+!t". )e was a st+dent o% Call!mach+s and st+d!ed at ,lato-s academ" !n $thens. )e was !n.!ted to $le(andr!a " ,tolem" E+ergetes to t+tor h!s son ,h!lopater. /he l! rar" at $le(andr!a had een planned " ,tolem" 0 &oter and came to %r+!t!on d+r!ng the re!gn o% h!s son ,tolem" 00 ,h!ladelph+s. /he or!g!nal hold!ngs o% the l! rar" were ased on cop!es o% the works !n $r!stotle-s l! rar". Eratosthenes ser.ed as the d!rector o% the l! rar" %or se.eral decades, work!ng there +nt!l he lost h!s s!ght to ophthalm!a !n old age. 1na le to read d+e to the a%%l!ct!on he was +nw!ll!ng to l!.e and star.ed h!msel% to death.

Eratosthenes- ch!e% sc!ent!%!c !nterests were astronom" and geodes". )e constr+cted .ar!o+s astronom!cal !nstr+ments +sed %or se.eral cent+r!es at the +n!.ers!t". )e s+ggested that a leap da" e added e.er" %o+rth "ear to the calendar and he attempted to constr+ct an acc+rate chronolog" o% the world " g!.!ng dates o% l!terar" and pol!t!cal e.ents %rom the t!me o% the s!ege o% /ro". Eratosthenes determ!ned the o l!*+!t" o% the ecl!pt!c, meas+r!ng the t!lt o% the earth w!th great acc+rac" to o ta!n the .al+e 234 516 2766. )e prepared a star map conta!n!ng 675 stars and wrote a poem called 8)ermes,9 wh!ch descr! ed the %+ndamentals o% astronom" !n .erse. Eratosthenes collected the a.a!la le geograph!cal knowledge and made n+mero+s calc+lat!ons o% d!stances on the earth etween s!gn!%!cant places. )e wrote h!s Geography, !n wh!ch he !ncorporated the methods and the res+lts o% h!s meas+rements and calc+lat!ons. )e also made a map o% the world. 0n add!t!on he sketched, rather acc+ratel", the ro+te o% the #!le to :harto+m, show!ng the two Eth!op!an tr! +tar!es, and s+ggested that the so+rce o% the #!le were lakes. Eratosthenes- map o% the world has not s+r.!.ed, onl" descr!pt!ons o% !t as recorded " others who .!ewed the or!g!nal. ;econstr+ct!ons o% the map accord!ng to Eratosthenes ha.e een made ased on these descr!pt!ons.

<% Eratosthenes-s work !n mathemat!cs there are two e(tant e(amples= one !s a descr!pt!on o% an !nstr+ment to d+pl!cate a c+ e, and the other !s a r+le he ga.e %or constr+ct!ng a ta le o% pr!me n+m ers. /he 8s!e.e o% Eratosthenes9 works as

%ollows= l!st the whole n+m ers %rom 1 onward >?!g+re 5.4@A s!nce 1 !s not a pr!me " de%!n!t!on, cross !t o+tA then e.er" second n+m er %rom the pr!me 2 !s a m+lt!ple o% 2 and ma" e crossed o+tA e.er" th!rd n+m er %rom the pr!me 3 !s a m+lt!ple o% 3 and ma" e crossed o+tA e.er" %!%th n+m er %rom the pr!me 5 !s a m+lt!ple o% 5 and can e crossed o+tA and so %orth. 0t has een est!mated that work!ng man+all" !n th!s wa" wo+ld re*+!re some 377 ho+rs to %!nd the pr!mes !n the n+m ers %rom 1 to 1,777,777. /he task o% determ!n!ng whether a part!c+lar n+m er !s a pr!me !s shortened " o ser.!ng that !% a n+m er !s the prod+ct o% two %actors, one m+st e less and the other greater than the s*+are root o% the n+m er, +nless the n+m er !s a s*+are o% a pr!me, !n wh!ch case the two %actors are e*+al. )ence e.er" compos!te n+m er m+st e d!.!s! le " a pr!me that !s not greater than !ts s*+are root.

?!g. 5.4

Eratosthenes- most %amo+s calc+lat!on !s the c!rc+m%erence o% the earth. $t noon o% the s+mmer solst!ce, he o ser.ed the s+n to e pract!call" o.erhead at the c!t" o% &"ene (now $swan). /h!s was con%!rmed " o ser.!ng that the s+n shone

d!rectl" down a well there. Eratosthenes knew the earth was a sphere and correctl" reasoned that !% he co+ld determ!ne the ele.at!on o% the noon s+n at some other locat!on o% the %!rst da" o% the s+mmer, and !% the d!stance etween these two locat!ons was known, he co+ld comp+te the c!rc+m%erence o% the earth as a s!mple rat!o. <n the %!rst da" o% s+mmer Eratosthenes placed an +pr!ght rod !n the gro+nd to %orm a s!mple s+nd!al (gnomon) at $le(andr!a and took a read!ng o% the noon s+n. $t the same t!me an +pr!ght rod at &"ene wo+ld cast no shadow. 0n $le(andr!a, wh!ch !s w!th!n 3B on the same mer!d!an as &"ene +t north o% !t, the angle etween the o.erhead d!rect!on %or the locat!on ($B !n ?!g+re 5.5) and the d!rect!on o% the s+n ($C !n the %!g+re) was o ser.ed to e 1D57 o% 367B (a o+t 7.2B). /he s+n !s so %ar %rom the earth that &E and $C ma" e cons!dered parallel. /h+s &$ !s 1D57 o% the c!rc+m%erence o% the earth. Eratosthenes est!mated the d!stance %rom $le(andr!a to &"ene " +s!ng the %act that camel tra!ns, wh!ch tra.eled 177 stad!a a da", took 57 da"s to reach &"ene. )ence the d!stance !s 5777 stad!a.

C!rc+m%erence o% the Earth 367B EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE F EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE C!stance %rom $le(andr!a to &"ene angle o% s+ns ra" at $le(andr!a C!rc+m%erence F 5777 ( 367D7.2 F 257,777 stad!a. 1s!ng the Eg"pt!an stad!a o% a o+t 173.6 "ards, Eratosthenes- res+lt !s 24,662 m!les, wh!ch !s .er" close to the act+al c!rc+m%erence o% the earth, as !t was meas+red cent+r!es later. Eratosthenes was not the onl" Greek who attempted to meas+re the c!rc+m%erence o% the earth. $ o+t a cent+r" later, ,os!don!+s +sed the star Canop+s as h!s l!ght so+rce and the c!t!es o% $le(andr!a and ;hodes as h!s po!nts o% re%erence on earth. 1n%ort+natel", he m!scalc+lated the d!stance etween $le(andr!a and ;hodes, res+lt!ng !n an est!mat!on o% the c!rc+m%erence o% the Earth that was m+ch too small. ,tolem" recorded th!s !ncorrect %!g+re !n h!s geograph". /he !nacc+rac" con.!nced e(plorers s+ch as Chr!stopher Col+m +s that sa!l!ng west wo+ld res+lt !n a *+!cker Go+rne" to 0nd!a. <ne can +t spec+late what m!ght ha.e occ+rred had ,tolem" +sed Eratosthenes- calc+lat!on rather than that o% ,os!don!+s.

Quotation of the Day= 8>Eratosthenes@ wasH recogn!Ied " h!s contemporar!es as a man o% great d!st!nct!on !n all ranches o% knowledge, tho+gh !n each s+ Gect he G+st %ell short o% the h!ghest place. <n the latter gro+nd he was called Beta, and another n!ckname appl!ed to h!m, ,entathlos, has the same !mpl!cat!on, represent!ng as !t does an allEro+nd athlete who was not the %!rst r+nner or wrestler +t took the second pr!Ie !n these contests as well as others.9 /homas '. )eath