How to construc a quadrant

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Published on Saturday, 05 July 2014 14:30
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Fun Math Activities for Kids

I know it sounds like a contradiction in terms for most people, but fun math activities really do exist. This activity teaches measurement, geometry, astronomy, and even some history by allowing children to build and use a mariner's quadrant.

While activity can be used in a classroom, it is perfect for at home learning and fun because kids can measure the heights of objects using a quadrant or, with a little more math, figure latitude the same way Christopher Columbus did. A few minutes of preparation are likely to lead to an afternoon of rushing around the yard measuring trees, signs, rooftops, and more.

If the capitalization in this article seems strange, it follows the Council of Science Editorsconventions. These are

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How to Construct an Astrolaba Usin Your PC

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Published on Saturday, 05 July 2014 14:18
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http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/Articles_2011/Winter-2011/Astrolabe_Construction.pdf

 

 

Ancient Navigators Could Have Measured Longitude!

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Published on Saturday, 05 July 2014 14:12
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by Rick Sanders

(Full text of article from Fall 2001 21st Century)

 

Around the year 232 B.C., Captain Rata and Navigator Maui set out with a flotilla of ships from Egypt in an attempt to circumnavigate the Earth.1 On the night of August 6-7, 2001, between the hours of 11 PM and 3 AM, this writer, and fellow amateur astronomer Bert Cooper, proved in principle that Captain Rata and Navigator Maui could have known and charted their location, by longitude, most of the time during that voyage.

The Maui expedition was under the guidance of Eratosthenes, the great scientist who was also the chief librarian of the library at Alexandria. Could this voyage have demonstrated Eratosthenes' theorem that the world was round,

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Panama Canal cruise: trip of the century

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Published on Thursday, 03 July 2014 04:28
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 Travel

A voyage on the Panama Canal during its centenary year is an unforgettable   adventure - and, luckily, you won't have to pay the same £224k fee as the   cruise line to experience it

The Panama Infinity sails on the canal, which is celebrating its centenary this year
 

By Lisa Gerard-Sharp

7:00AM BST 28 Jun 2014

Things move at a more leisurely pace in Central America, but on the Panama   Canal marine traffic is lined up with Swiss precision. At Gatun Locks   hulking Chinese containers jostle with cruise ships and tiny Panamanian   tugs. “I’ve done the Panama Canal 50 times,” says Steve

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