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Dear Bryan,

I am a math teacher myself, and I like your idea to teach some Cel Nav
to a math class. Of course, if I were teaching this myself, I would
not try to teach practical skills (how to use tables and calculators),
but the beautiful and simple elementary mathematics which lies in
the foundation of the subject.
After all, your students are not future celestial navigators,
and I believe that for "practical purposes" all this subject is completely
useless at the age of GPS.

So here is an approximate syllabus I would consider for high school
students:

1. Celestial sphere, and coordinates. Its daily rotation. Path of the Sun.
Solar and mean time.
2. Two coordinate systems, (altitude, azimuth) and (declination,hour
angle). Transition between them.
3. Determination of latitude using Sun or the Polar star.
The principle of sextant.
4. Problem of longitude and its solutions: Lunar distances and
chronometer.
5. The principle of the line of position method.

If time permits, one can include such things as refraction, dip of the
horizon and parallax with more or less detail.

This would give plenty of opportunities to explain some very elementary
but nice mathematics, including the solution of a spherical triangle.

Everything except the Lunar distance method can be found in any good
modern book on Cel Nav; a very elementary explanation of the Lunar
distance method can be found in the article of George Huxtable in this
list archive.

Alex.

On Wed, 11 Jul 2012, Bryan Feezor wrote:

>
> I am a High school math teacher on Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of 
Maine, and I am planning on teaching a Celestial Navigation course next 
school year as part of one of my math classes.    I have many questions about 
CN and only a basic knowledge of the practice.   I would love to get some 
more information on class offerings or instruction for myself as I have only 
taught myself what little I do know.
>
> Any information about where to look for classes or helpful websites would be fantastic!
>
> Thanks,
>     Bryan
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