Atheists & Agnostics

onager

(9,356 posts)

8. Round earth was proven about 240 BCE

Reply to left-of-center2012 (Original post)

Mon Apr 27, 2015, 07:24 AM

Apr 2015

By the one-man MENSA, Eratosthenes - mathematician, geographer, scientist, poet, music theorist, etc. etc. Also Chief Librarian at the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt.

While living in Alexandria, he not only proved the earth was round, he calculated its circumference with only minor errors. Those errors were caused by some assumptions he had to make, lacking the instruments we have today. He also calculated the axial tilt of the Earth and may have calculated the distance to the Sun.

Speaking of assumptions - Columbus studied Eratosthenes' calculations before he started on his 1492 voyage. For his own unknown reasons, Columbus arbitrarily decided the Earth was a lot smaller than Eratosthenes' had figured. If Columbus had used the original numbers, he would have known he wasn't landing in India.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes

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A thought on the Bible [View all] left-of-center2012 Apr 2015 OP

Nice! beam me up scottie Apr 2015 #1

I think it would be more accurate Cartoonist Apr 2015 #2

Pretty sure there are several references to the earth being a flat circular disc in there LostOne4Ever Apr 2015 #3

The only reference I know of is in Joshua Cartoonist Apr 2015 #4

Matthew 4:8 trotsky Apr 2015 #9

The ancient Egypts believed that Earth was a flat rectangle. DetlefK Apr 2015 #6

It would be bad enough if it was just a matter of silly shit Major Nikon Apr 2015 #5

+1 You nailed it. Enthusiast Apr 2015 #7

Round earth was proven about 240 BCE onager Apr 2015 #8

Indeed nil desperandum Apr 2015 #10

Everyone knows edhopper Apr 2015 #11