earth science

History of latitude

History of latitude is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand History of latitude rather than just read about it. In short: The Greeks studied the results of the measurements of latitude by the explorer Pytheas who voyaged to Britain and beyond, as far as the Arctic Circle (observing the midnight sun), in 325 BC. They used several methods to measure latitude, including the height of the Sun above the horizon at midday, measured using a gnōmōn (a word that originally meant an interpreter or judge); the length of the day at the summer sols…

Key takeaways

History of latitude belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect History of latitude to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of History of latitude from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Greeks studied the results of the measurements of latitude by the explorer Pytheas who voyaged to Britain and beyond, as far as the Arctic Circle (observing the midnight sun), in 325 BC. They used several methods to measure latitude, including the height of the Sun above the horizon at midday, measured using a gnōmōn (a word that originally meant an interpreter or judge); the length of the day at the summer solstice, and the elevation of the Sun at winter solstice. The Greek Marinus of Tyre (CE 70–130) was the first to assign a latitude and longitude to every place on his maps. From the late 9th century CE, the Arabian Kamal was used in equatorial regions, to measure the height of Polaris above the horizon. This instrument could only be used in latitudes where Polaris is close to the horizon. The mariner's astrolabe which gives the angle of the Sun from the horizon at noon, or the angle of a known star at night, was used from around the 15th to the 17th century. The observation of the Sun instead of Polaris enabled the measurement of latitude in the Southern Hemisphere but required the use of solar declination tables. One of the most famous tables, but certainly not the first one, was published in 1496 by the Castilian Jew Abraham Zacut, then exiled in Portugal. The earliest extant descriptions of actual observations of the Sun to measure latitude at sea, attributed to Spanish pilot Andrés de San Martín, were recorded in the first part of Francisco Albo's logbook of the Magellan-Elcano expedition (1519-1522). The backstaff, which measures the length of a shadow, was used from the 16th century and saw iterative improvements such as the Davis quadrant. These were in use in parallel with the octant and early sextant; the sextant eventually displaced the others, and is still used to this day. The sextant was mentioned by Isaac Newton (1643–1727) in his unpublished writings, and first implemented about 1730 by John Hadley (1682–1744) and Thomas Godfrey (1704–1749).

See also History of geodesy History of longitude History of navigation International Latitude Service Ocean exploration

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with History of latitude

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what History of latitude claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to History of latitude before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about History of latitude ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of History of latitude

In research: History of latitude appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses History of latitude in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: History of latitude is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics History of navigation, Ocean exploration, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for History of latitude outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study History of latitude in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what History of latitude means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain History of latitude out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is History of latitude in simple terms?

Why does History of latitude matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study History of latitude?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on History of latitude.