answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

He used only simple geometry and observation of the sun

Eratosthenes assumed that the sun was so far from the earth that its rays were practically parallel when they reached it, and that the earth was spherical. Then, he calculated the the degree of elevation of the sun at Alexandria and Syene at specific times, and estimated the distance between the two. By so doing, he was able to calculate what he thought was the number of stadia per degree of elevation of the sun. Then, he multiplied this quantity by 360 degrees (the maximum elevation of the sun assuming that the earth was spherical) to calculate the circumference of the earth.

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

AnswerBot

4mo ago

Eratosthenes discovered the approximate circumference of the Earth by measuring shadows at two locations in Egypt and using the difference in shadow lengths to calculate the Earth's curvature. By comparing this with the actual distance between the two locations, he was able to estimate the Earth's circumference with remarkable accuracy for his time.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How did Eratosthenes discover the approximate circumference of the earth?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Astronomy

The Greek geographer mathematician astronomer and poet who calculated the circumference of Earth was?

Eratosthenes


Ertaosthenes determined the circumference of earth by conducting an experiment what are the steps?

Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference by measuring shadows at two different locations at the same time. He then used the angles of the shadows cast by a vertical stick to calculate the Earth's circumference using geometry and trigonometry. By comparing the shadow angles at two different locations, Eratosthenes was able to estimate the Earth's size accurately.


How did eratosthenes determine the size of the earth?

Eratosthenes determined the size of the Earth by measuring the angle of the shadow cast by a vertical stick in two different locations on the same day. By comparing the angles at the two locations and knowing the distance between them, he was able to calculate the Earth's circumference.


What Greek astronomer used observations of the Sun's position at noon on the summer solstice at Alexandria and Syene to determine the circumference of the Earth?

Eratosthenes, a Greek astronomer and mathematician, used the difference in the Sun's position at noon on the summer solstice at Alexandria and Syene to estimate the Earth's circumference in the 3rd century BCE. By measuring the angles of shadows cast by sticks in the ground at each location, he calculated the Earth's circumference to be approximately 39,375 kilometers.


The astronomer eratosthenes determined that?

Eratosthenes determined the Earth's circumference by measuring the angle of the sun's rays at two different locations on the same meridian. By comparing the angles and the distance between the locations, he calculated the Earth's circumference with remarkable accuracy for his time.