Who Said The Earth Is Round? History and interesting facts. The earth died no it lurked for a while
About who said that the Earth is round, controversy continues today. Until now, there are such individuals who are trying to prove that the Earth is flat, even ignoring the images of the globe in photographs from space. So, the round shape of the Earth has been known since ancient times.
Who was the first to say that the Earth is round?
Once upon a time, many millennia ago, people considered the Earth to be flat. In the myths of different peoples, in the writings of ancient scientists, it was argued that the Earth rests on three whales, on elephants and even on a huge turtle. Let's try to figure out who said that the Earth is round.
The ancient Greek scientist Parmenides, who lived in about 540-480. BC e., in his philosophical poem "On Nature" wrote that the Earth is round. This was a revolutionary conclusion about the shape of the planet, but it is impossible to unequivocally consider that Parmenides was the first to express this idea. The scientist wrote about the round shape of the Earth in the section "Opinions of mortals", where he described the thoughts and ideas of his contemporaries, but not his own conclusions. And Pythagoras of Samos was a contemporary of Parmenides.
Pythagoras, together with his students, studied the theory of universal and cosmic harmony. It was in the records of the adherents of the Pythagorean school that many reflections were found that the flat Earth could not in any way harmonize with the celestial sphere. To the question: "Who said that the Earth is round?" most likely Pythagoras himself answered, formulating the idea of the earthly sphere as the most suitable, according to the theories of geometry and mathematics.
Scientists who announced the shape of the Earth
Which scientist said that the earth is round? In addition to Parmenides and Pythagoras, there were other ancient thinkers who studied the Earth and space. Today, any schoolchild knows the principle of "sundial", when sticks cast shadows on the sand during the day. different lengths and at different angles. If the ground were flat, either the length of the shadows or the angle between the subject and the shadow would not change. However, in ancient times, only serious scientists paid attention to such details of life.
So, the philosopher from Alexandria Eratosthenes of Cyrene, who lived in the III-II centuries. BC BC, made calculations on the day of the summer solstice, using the values of the difference between the shadows from objects, the zenith and the angle between them. He even managed to calculate the approximate size of our planet and is considered the first researcher to describe the concepts of modern longitude and latitude, since in his calculations he used data from different geographical locations of Alexandria and Siena.
Later, the Greek Stoic philosopher Posidonius in 135-51. BC NS. also calculated the size of the globe, but they turned out to be smaller than that of Eratosthenes. So today it is rather difficult to unequivocally answer the question of who was the first to say that the Earth is round.
Aristotle on Earth
The Greek scientist, thinker, philosopher Aristotle said that the Earth is round, back in the 4th century BC. NS. He not only put forward hypotheses and made rough calculations, but also collected evidence that the Earth has the shape of a ball.
First, the scientist notices that if you look from the shore at the ship, which is approaching the observer, then from the horizon, first the mast becomes visible, then the ship's hull itself. Few were convinced by this evidence.
Secondly, its more substantial evidence is based on observations of eclipses of the moon. As a result, Aristotle concluded that the Earth has the shape of a sphere, because the shadow from the Earth on the surface of the Moon did not change during eclipses, that is, it was always round, which only the ball gives.
Thirdly, during his trip to Egypt, Aristotle, observing the firmament, described in detail the changes in the constellations and stars in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. He wrote: "... in Egypt and Cyprus there are stars that have not been seen in the northern regions." Such changes can only be seen from a circular surface. Moreover, the scientist concluded that the sphere of the Earth is small, since it is possible to establish changes in stars and terrain only from a sufficiently limited surface.
First Star Chart
And who was the first to say that the Earth is round, in the East? An unusual story is the Caliph Al-Mamun, who lived in the 7th century, to whom Aristotle and his disciples once appeared in a dream. The scientist showed Mamun "the image of the Earth". From the images he saw, Mamun reproduced the "star map", which was the first map of the Earth and planets in the Islamic world.
Mamun ordered the court astronomers to measure the magnitude of the Earth, and the circumference of the planet, which they obtained, equal to 18,000 miles, turned out to be quite accurate: the length of the Earth's equator calculated to date is about 25,000 miles.
World sphere
Thus, already by the 13th century, the idea of a round shape of the Earth had already firmly established itself in science. The famous English mathematician, founder of the decimal number system, John de Sacrobosco, or John of Halifax, as he is called in England, published his famous treatise On the World Sphere. In this work, Sacrobosco summarized the conclusions of Eastern astronomers and the ideas of Ptolemy's "Almagest". Since 1240, the "World Sphere" has become the main study guide on astronomy at Oxford, Sorbonne and other prestigious universities in the world, and for 400 years has withstood about 60 editions.
The baton of the idea of the world sphere was picked up by Christopher Columbus, when in 1492 he began his famous journey to India, sailing from Spain to the west. He was sure that he would reach the continent, because the Earth has a spherical shape, and there is not much difference in which direction to swim: all the same, the movement will be closed in a circle. So it was no coincidence that Columbus was the one who was the first to prove that the Earth is round, as they say in many modern textbooks... He was an educated, enterprising, but not too successful navigator, since all the glory of the discoverer went to his colleague Amerigo Vespucci.
Biblical descriptions of the Earth
Bible information about the system celestial bodies and the shape of the Earth actually looks somewhat contradictory. So, in some Old Testament books, the flat shape of the earth and the geocentric model of the world are quite unambiguously described:
(Psalm 103: 5) “You have set the earth on solid foundations: it will not shake forever and ever”;
The book of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1: 5) "The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hastens to its place, where it rises";
The book of Joshua (Joshua 10:12) "... stay, the sun, over Gibeon, and the moon, over the valley of Aialon!"
And yet it turns!
The Bible also says that the Earth is round, and some interpretations of Scripture confirm the heliocentric structure of the world:
Isaiah 40:22: “He is the One who sits over the globe of the Earth ...”;
The Book of Job (Job 26: 7): “He (God) stretched the north over the void, hung the Earth on nothing”;
(Job 26:10): "I drew a line above the surface of the water, to the borders of light with darkness."
The benefits and harms of the Inquisition
Such ambiguity of the biblical images of the Earth, the Sun and other celestial bodies can really be explained by the fact that the Holy Scriptures did not have as their purpose to reveal the physical structure of the Universe, but is called upon to serve only the salvation of the human soul. However, in the Middle Ages, the church, being the forefront of science, was forced to seek the truth. And she had to either make compromises with the theories of various scientists, or forbid them scientific activity, since it was not possible to combine their conclusions with some biblical interpretations, as well as with the dominant theory of Aristotle - Ptolemy at that time.
So, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was recognized as a heretic for his active propaganda of the heliocentric system of the world, founded at the beginning of the 16th century by Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543). The most scandalous and sad act of the Inquisition - the burning at the stake of Giordano Bruno in 1600 - is known to any schoolchild. True, in fact, the verdict of the Inquisition in the case of the monk Bruno Nolantz had nothing to do with his reasoning about the heliocentric system of celestial bodies, he was accused of denying basic Christian dogmas. However, the persistence of this myth speaks of the profound importance of the works of astronomers for modern science and religion.
Does the Qur'an say the Earth is round?
Since the Prophet Muhammad was one of the late founders of the monotheistic religion, the Quran absorbed the most advanced ideas of science and religion, based on the colossal treasures of knowledge of the learned men of the East. This sacred book also contains evidence for the round shape of the earth.
"He covers the night with the day that hastily follows her."
"He wraps around the day at night and wraps around the night in the day."
Such continuous cyclicality and even overlap of day and night clearly indicate the sphericity of the Earth. And the verb "wraps around" is used quite unambiguously, emphasizing the circular motion of the luminary around the globe of the Earth.
"No and no! By the Lord of the east and west! Truly, We are able."
Obviously, on a flat earth there can be only one west and one east, and only on a round earth there are many. The position of the west and east changes relative to the horizon due to the rotation of the Earth.
“The sign for them is the dead land, which We have revived and extracted from it the grain on which they feed” (36:33)
And one more quote from the Quran:
“The sun is sailing towards its dwelling place. This is the preposition of the Mighty Knower. We have predetermined positions for the moon until it becomes like an old palm branch again. The sun is not supposed to catch up with the moon, and the night is not ahead of the day. Each one floats in an orbit "(36: 38-40).
Also in the Holy Book of Muslims there is a unique ayat with the words "After that He spread the earth" (79:30), where a special Arabic verb "da-ha" was used, which has two meanings: "spread out" and "round". This very figuratively emphasizes that from the top, the earth appears to be open, while it has a rounded shape.
To new discoveries
Our planet with all the legends, myths, legends, theories and evidence about it is of scientific, social and religious interest even today. Already no one undertakes to claim that the planet has been fully studied, it conceals a great many mysteries, and future generations will have to make many of the most incredible discoveries.
Q Who Said the Earth Is Round?
They say that this is ...
However, the hypothesis that our planet has the shape of a ball existed for a very long time. The first to express this idea back in the VI century BC was the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. Another philosopher, Aristotle, who lived in Ancient Greece two centuries later, gave clear evidence of sphericity: after all, during lunar eclipses The Earth casts a round shadow on the Moon!
Gradually, the idea that the Earth is a ball, hanging in space and not supported by anything, spread more and more widely. Centuries have passed, people have long known that the Earth is not flat and does not rest on whales or elephants ... We walked around the world, crossed our ball literally in all directions, flew around it on an airplane, photographed it from space. We even know why not only ours, but all other planets, and the Sun, and stars, and the Moon, and other large satellites are precisely "round" and not of any other shape. After all, they are large, have a huge mass. Their own gravitational force - gravity - tends to give celestial bodies the shape of a ball.
Even if some force appeared, greater than gravity, which would give the Earth the shape of, say, a suitcase, it would still end the same: as soon as the action of this force ceased, the force of gravity would begin to collect the Earth into a ball again, "pulling in" protruding parts until all points on the surface are at an equal distance from the center.
Let's continue our reflections on this topic ...
Not a ball!
Back in the 17th century, the famous physicist and mathematician Newton made the bold assumption that the Earth is not a ball, or rather, not quite a ball. Guessed - and mathematically proved it.
Newton “drilled” (of course, mentally!) To the center of the planet two communicating channels: one from the North Pole, the other from the equator, and “filled” them with water. Calculations have shown that the water has settled at different levels. Indeed, in the polar well, only the force of gravity acts on the water, and in the equatorial well, it is still opposed by the centrifugal force. The scientist argued: in order for both columns of water to exert the same pressure on the center of the Earth, that is, so that they have equal weight, the water level in the equatorial well should be higher - according to Newton's calculations, 1/230 of the average radius of the planet. In other words, the distance from the center to the equator is greater than to the pole.
To check Newton's calculations, the Paris Academy of Sciences sent two expeditions in 1735 - 1737: to Peru and to Lapland. The expedition members had to measure the meridian arcs - 1 degree each: one - in equatorial latitudes, in Peru, the other - in polar latitudes, in Lapland. After processing the data of the expeditions, the head of the north, geodesist Pierre-Louis Maupertuis, announced that Newton was right: the Earth was compressed at the poles! This discovery of Maupertuis was immortalized by Voltaire in ... an epigram:
Messenger of physics, courageous sailor,
Having overcome both mountains and seas.
Dragging the quadrant through the snow and swamps,
Almost turning into a lapp.
You found out after many losses.
What Newton knew without leaving the door.
It was in vain that Voltaire was so caustic: how can science exist without experimental confirmation of its theories ?!
Be that as it may, now we know for sure that the Earth is flattened at the poles (if you will, stretched out at the equator). It is stretched, however, quite a bit: the polar radius is 6357 km, and the equatorial one is 6378 km, only 21 km more.
Looks like a pear?
However, can the Earth be called, if not a ball, but an "oblate" ball, namely an ellipsoid of revolution? After all, as we know, its relief is uneven: there are mountains, there are also depressions. In addition, the forces of attraction of other celestial bodies act on it, primarily the Sun and the Moon. Even if their influence is small, the Moon is still capable of bending the shape of the Earth's liquid shell - the World Ocean - by several meters, creating ebb and flow. This means that the “rotation” radii are different at different points!
In addition, in the north there is a "liquid" ocean, and in the south - a "solid" continent covered with ice - Antarctica. It turns out that the Earth does not have quite the correct shape, it resembles a pear elongated to the North Pole. And by and large, its surface is so complex that it does not lend itself to a rigorous mathematical description at all. Therefore, scientists have proposed a special name for the shape of the Earth - geoid. The geoid is an irregular stereometric figure. Its surface roughly coincides with the surface of the World Ocean and continues on the mainland. The very "height above sea level", which is indicated in atlases and dictionaries, is measured precisely from this geoid surface.
Well, scientifically:
Geoid(from ancient Greek γῆ - the Earth and ancient Greek εἶδος - a kind, literally - "something like the Earth") - a convex closed surface that coincides with the water surface in the seas and oceans in a calm state and perpendicular to the direction of gravity at any point. A geometric body deviating from the figure of rotation An ellipsoid of revolution and reflecting the properties of the potential of gravity on Earth (near the earth's surface) is an important concept in geodesy.
1. World Ocean
2. Earth ellipsoid
3. Plumb lines
4. Body of the Earth
The geoid is defined as the equipotential surface of the earth's gravity field (level surface), approximately coinciding with the average water level of the World Ocean in an undisturbed state and conditionally continued under the continents. The difference between the real mean sea level and the geoid can be up to 1 m.
By definition of the equipotential surface, the surface of the geoid is everywhere perpendicular to the plumb line.
A geoid is not a geoid!
To be completely honest, it is worth admitting that due to the difference in temperature in different parts of the planet and the salinity of the oceans and seas, atmospheric pressure and other factors, the surface of the water surface does not coincide in shape even with the geoid, but has deviations. For example, at the latitude of the Panama Canal, the difference in the levels of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is 62 cm.
Strong earthquakes also affect the shape of the globe. One of these 9-point earthquakes occurred on December 26, 2004 in Southeast Asia, Sumatra. Professors of the University of Milan, Roberto Sabadini and Giorgio Dalla Via, believe that it left a "scar" on the planet's gravitational field, as a result of which the geoid sagged significantly. To test this assumption, the Europeans intend to send a new GOCE satellite, equipped with modern highly sensitive equipment, into orbit. We hope that soon he will send us accurate information about the shape of the Earth today.
and some more interesting things about the Earth: for example, when did you know that the Earth is round? or When the Earth was first photographed from space. But you know for example Why continents and parts of the world are called that? and more recently it was reported that the Long-lost continent was discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean
They say that this is ...
However, the hypothesis that our planet has the shape of a ball existed for a very long time. The first to express this idea back in the VI century BC was the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. Another philosopher, Aristotle, who lived in Ancient Greece two centuries later, gave clear evidence of sphericity: after all, during lunar eclipses, the Earth casts a round shadow on the Moon!
Gradually, the idea that the Earth is a ball, hanging in space and not supported by anything, spread more and more widely. Centuries have passed, people have long known that the Earth is not flat and does not rest on whales or elephants ... We walked around the world, crossed our ball literally in all directions, flew around it on an airplane, photographed it from space. We even know why not only ours, but all other planets, and the Sun, and stars, and the Moon, and other large satellites are precisely "round" and not of any other shape. After all, they are large, have a huge mass. Their own gravitational force - gravity - tends to give celestial bodies the shape of a ball.
Even if some force appeared, greater than gravity, which would give the Earth the shape of, say, a suitcase, it would still end the same: as soon as the action of this force ceased, the force of gravity would begin to collect the Earth into a ball again, "pulling in" protruding parts until all points on the surface are at an equal distance from the center.
Let's continue our reflections on this topic ...
Not a ball!
Back in the 17th century, the famous physicist and mathematician Newton made the bold assumption that the Earth is not a ball, or rather, not quite a ball. Guessed - and mathematically proved it.
Newton “drilled” (of course, mentally!) To the center of the planet two communicating channels: one from the North Pole, the other from the equator, and “filled” them with water. Calculations have shown that the water has settled at different levels. Indeed, in the polar well, only the force of gravity acts on the water, and in the equatorial well, it is still opposed by the centrifugal force. The scientist argued: in order for both columns of water to exert the same pressure on the center of the Earth, that is, so that they have equal weight, the water level in the equatorial well should be higher - according to Newton's calculations, 1/230 of the average radius of the planet. In other words, the distance from the center to the equator is greater than to the pole.
To check Newton's calculations, the Paris Academy of Sciences sent two expeditions in 1735 - 1737: to Peru and to Lapland. The expedition members had to measure the meridian arcs - 1 degree each: one - in equatorial latitudes, in Peru, the other - in polar latitudes, in Lapland. After processing the data of the expeditions, the head of the north, geodesist Pierre-Louis Maupertuis, announced that Newton was right: the Earth was compressed at the poles! This discovery of Maupertuis was immortalized by Voltaire in ... an epigram:
Messenger of physics, courageous sailor,
Having overcome both mountains and seas.
Dragging the quadrant through the snow and swamps,
Almost turning into a lapp.
You found out after many losses.
What Newton knew without leaving the door.
It was in vain that Voltaire was so caustic: how can science exist without experimental confirmation of its theories ?!
Be that as it may, now we know for sure that the Earth is flattened at the poles (if you will, stretched out at the equator). It is stretched, however, quite a bit: the polar radius is 6357 km, and the equatorial one is 6378 km, only 21 km more.
Looks like a pear?
However, can the Earth be called, if not a ball, but an "oblate" ball, namely an ellipsoid of revolution? After all, as we know, its relief is uneven: there are mountains, there are also depressions. In addition, the forces of attraction of other celestial bodies act on it, primarily the Sun and the Moon. Even if their influence is small, the Moon is still capable of bending the shape of the Earth's liquid shell - the World Ocean - by several meters, creating ebb and flow. This means that the “rotation” radii are different at different points!
In addition, in the north there is a "liquid" ocean, and in the south - a "solid" continent covered with ice - Antarctica. It turns out that the Earth does not have quite the correct shape, it resembles a pear elongated to the North Pole. And by and large, its surface is so complex that it does not lend itself to a rigorous mathematical description at all. Therefore, scientists have proposed a special name for the shape of the Earth - geoid. The geoid is an irregular stereometric figure. Its surface roughly coincides with the surface of the World Ocean and continues on the mainland. The very "height above sea level", which is indicated in atlases and dictionaries, is measured precisely from this geoid surface.
Well, scientifically:
Geoid(from ancient Greek γῆ - the Earth and ancient Greek εἶδος - a kind, literally - "something like the Earth") - a convex closed surface that coincides with the water surface in the seas and oceans in a calm state and perpendicular to the direction of gravity at any point. A geometric body deviating from the figure of rotation An ellipsoid of revolution and reflecting the properties of the potential of gravity on Earth (near the earth's surface) is an important concept in geodesy.
1. World Ocean
2. Earth ellipsoid
3. Plumb lines
4. Body of the Earth
5. Geoid
The geoid is defined as the equipotential surface of the earth's gravity field (level surface), approximately coinciding with the average water level of the World Ocean in an undisturbed state and conditionally continued under the continents. The difference between the real mean sea level and the geoid can be up to 1 m.
By definition of the equipotential surface, the surface of the geoid is everywhere perpendicular to the plumb line.
A geoid is not a geoid!
To be completely honest, it is worth admitting that due to the difference in temperature in different parts of the planet and the salinity of the oceans and seas, atmospheric pressure and other factors, the surface of the water surface does not coincide in shape even with the geoid, but has deviations. For example, at the latitude of the Panama Canal, the difference in the levels of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans is 62 cm.
Strong earthquakes also affect the shape of the globe. One of these 9-point earthquakes occurred on December 26, 2004 in Southeast Asia, Sumatra. Professors of the University of Milan, Roberto Sabadini and Giorgio Dalla Via, believe that it left a "scar" on the planet's gravitational field, as a result of which the geoid sagged significantly. To test this assumption, the Europeans intend to send a new GOCE satellite, equipped with modern highly sensitive equipment, into orbit. We hope that soon he will send us accurate information about the shape of the Earth today.
sources
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BE%D0%B8%D0%B4
http://allforchildren.ru/why/which4.php
and a little more interesting things about the Earth: for example, here or. But you know, for example, and just recently reported that
9 total views, 9 views today
The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from is