NavList:

   

Reply

Fred,

Then this is the same book I read:-)
I just forgot the name of the author.

If you type on Google "Delambre and Mechain"
you get several pages about this.

These pages are mostly run by the opponents of the metric
system:-)
As if precise measurement of a meridian had anything to do
with the matter. The advantages of the metric system are certainly
not in the precise relation
between the meter and some meridian.

Alex.

On Thu, 3 May 2007, Fred Hebard wrote:

>
>
> Alex,
>
> Yes, the book is about Delambre and Mechain.  Mechain is the one who
> died.  The discrepancy also led to the meter not being quite the
> right length.  I believe it was Mechain's results in Barcelona where
> he tried to hide the error.
>
> Fred
>
> On May 2, 2007, at 11:49 PM, Alexandre E Eremenko wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Fred
> >
> >> The book, "The Measure of All Things," by
> >> Ken Alder,
> >
> > We don't have it at Purdue. What is it about?
> > The French expeditions measuring the length of
> > the meridian?
> >
> > I read another book about measuring the Paris meridian
> > by Delambre and Mechain to establish a "scientific standard
> > of the meter". Mechain
> > indeed once had
> > unexplained error of the order of 2" or so,
> > and he could not repeat the measurement after the
> > error was discovered (because of a war).
> > He tried to hide the error, and
> > this essentially ruined his life and
> > career...
> >
> >> The discrepancies had led, essentially, to the death of
> >> one of the fellows performing the measurements.
> >
> > Who was that?
> >
> > Alex.
> >
> >
> > >
>
>
>
> >


--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com
To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

   

Reply