Somehow this has a familiar ring to it
In uk.d-i-y, IMM wrote:
All the clockmaker had to do was use a sundial to set his clock at noon. For extra accuracy he could set his clock at midnight as well. He'd need to splash out on a luminous sundial, though. -- Mike Barnes |
Somehow this has a familiar ring to it
IMM wrote:
"Andy Hall" wrote in message ... Before the days of cutting and pasting....... The Zanzibar Fable A ship's captain found his navigating clock, or chronometer, had stopped. This was a serious misfortune in the days before radio time signals. He put into port at Zanzibar, hoping to re-set his chronometer with accurate local time. He inquired at the harbor and people told him, 'Yes, there is a clockmaker down in the town, with a very accurate clock, his pride and joy." Appalling! All the clockmaker had to do was use a sundial to set his clock at noon. Wasn't the whole point of a ship's chronometer it wasn't set to local time but to say GMT. Otherwise its not a lot of use in finding your longitude. |
Somehow this has a familiar ring to it
"BillR" wrote in message ... IMM wrote: "Andy Hall" wrote in message ... Before the days of cutting and pasting....... The Zanzibar Fable A ship's captain found his navigating clock, or chronometer, had stopped. This was a serious misfortune in the days before radio time signals. He put into port at Zanzibar, hoping to re-set his chronometer with accurate local time. He inquired at the harbor and people told him, 'Yes, there is a clockmaker down in the town, with a very accurate clock, his pride and joy." Appalling! All the clockmaker had to do was use a sundial to set his clock at noon. Wasn't the whole point of a ship's chronometer it wasn't set to local time but to say GMT. Otherwise its not a lot of use in finding your longitude. Correct. That's why I posted a link for a "ship's clock" not a chronometer. --- -- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.507 / Virus Database: 304 - Release Date: 04/08/2003 |
Somehow this has a familiar ring to it
In message , BillR
writes Appalling! All the clockmaker had to do was use a sundial to set his clock at noon. Wasn't the whole point of a ship's chronometer it wasn't set to local time but to say GMT. Otherwise its not a lot of use in finding your longitude. It's a parable. Of course with the correct angle of dangle and a bit of maths,... -- geoff |
Somehow this has a familiar ring to it
Wasn't the whole point of a ship's chronometer it wasn't set to
local time but to say GMT. If you have an accurate local time and what port you are in, you can set the chronometer. I presume the navigator had access to the known co-ordinates of the port. Christian. |
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