Notice bibliographique
- Notice
Type(s) de contenu et mode(s) de consultation : Texte noté : électronique
Auteur(s) : Boccaletti, Dino
Titre(s) : The shape and size of the Earth [Texte électronique] : a historical journey from homer to artificial satellites / by Dino Boccaletti
Publication : Cham : Springer international publishing, copyright 2019
Description matérielle : 1 ressource en ligne : fichiers PDF
Note(s) : This book describes in detail the various theories on the shape of the Earth from
classical antiquity to the present day and examines how measurements of its form and
dimensions have evolved throughout this period. The origins of the notion of the sphericity
of the Earth are explained, dating back to Eratosthenes and beyond, and detailed attention
is paid to the struggle to establish key discoveries as part of the cultural heritage
of humanity. In this context, the roles played by the Catholic Church and the philosophers
of the Middle Ages are scrutinized. Later contributions by such luminaries as Richer,
Newton, Clairaut, Maupertuis, and Delambre are thoroughly reviewed, with exploration
of the importance of mathematics in their geodetic enterprises. The culmination of
progress in scientific research is the recognition that the reference figure is not
a sphere but rather a geoid and that the earth's shape is oblate. Today, satellite
geodesy permits the solution of geodetic problems by means of precise measurements.
Narrating this fascinating story from the very beginning not only casts light on our
emerging understanding of the figure of the Earth but also offers profound insights
into the broader evolution of human thought
Sujet(s) : Géographie physique -- Histoire
Géodésie -- Histoire
Géographie mathématique -- Histoire
Indice(s) Dewey :
526.109 (23e éd.) = Géodésie - Histoire
Identifiants, prix et caractéristiques : ISBN 9783319905938. - ISBN 3319905937 (eBook)
Identifiant de la notice : ark:/12148/cb458105871
Notice n° :
FRBNF45810587
(notice reprise d'un réservoir extérieur)
Table des matières : 1 The Graeco-Roman World ; 2 The Roman world from the end of the republic to the
end of the empire ; 3 The Middle Ages ; 4 From the age of the great transoceanic
discoveries to the new measurements of the Earth .90 ; 5 The Figure and the size
of the Earth in the XVIII Century ; 6 From the French Revolution to the artificial
Satellites ; Epilogue ; The concept of Geoid ; The mathematical Model ; The satellitar
Geodesy. .
