this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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[–] olutukko@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I mean we do know the formula, se we know pretty well how accurate it was, since we can just use the same formula with meters and calculate it ourselves

"The simplified method works by considering two cities along the same meridian and measuring both the distance between them and the difference in angles of the shadows cast by the sun on a vertical rod (a gnomon) in each city at noon on the summer solstice. The two cities used were Alexandria and Syene (modern Aswan), and the distance between the cities was measured by professional bematists.[16] A geometric calculation reveals that the circumference of the Earth is the distance between the two cities divided by the difference in shadow angles expressed as a fraction of one turn. "