Digital Magazine "Maths and Science Adventure" Digital Magazine "Maths and Science Adv_1st issue | Page 3

DIG IT AL
MAGA ZINE
took Tammet just 5 hours and
9 minutes to reel off the num-
bers while mathematicians
listened and simultaneously
checked every digit.
To memorize a long number
like Pi, Tammet said he just
forms a beautiful landscape
out of the shapes he pictures
„MA T HS
A ND
SC IENC E
in his mind: "I'm taking the
numbers, I'm making them
into colours and shapes. I'm
able to put those into combi-
nations which form hills…or
ground or sky…It's another
world that I'm able to go into,
experience, live within."
ADV ENT UR E”
PAGE
Gabriela Więckowska, Poland
Source: http://
abcnews.go.com/2020/autistic-
savant-daniel-tammet-solves-
problems-blink-eye/story?
id=10759598
Eratosthenes’ experiment to calculate
the Earth’s radius
In the middle of the 20 th
century scientists sent the
first satellites into
space,which can help us
calculate earth’s charac-
teristics with ease and
precision. As we know
today, the Prime Meridian
is 40.007 kilometers in
size. south of Aswan. Just like
every scien-
tist,Eratosthenis ques-
tioned himself if that phe-
nomenon happens in an-
other place like Alexan-
dria.However, at the
same day and time of the
day, columns had shad-
ows.
We didn’t need the help
of the satellites and tech-
nology to calculate
earth’s dimensions be-
cause of a great ancient
Greek scientist named
Eratosthenis who lived
2500 years ago. If Earth was flat,the col-
umns in the two cities
would be in parallel and
therefore having shad-
ows.We know that isn’t
true so what is the reason
behind it?Eratosthenis
gave the answer saying
that earth is round
shaped and not flat.That
conclusion helped Eratos-
thenis calculate Earth’s
radius and length.We can
calculate the difference
between the latitude of
the 2 cities if we know
their shadows’ length.He
knew that the distance
Eratosthenis(3 rd centuary
BC) was the director of
the Royal Library of Alex-
andria at the time.On the
21 st of June, Eratosthenis
read on papyrus scroll
that columns don’t have
shadows and t he Sun is
mirrored exactly at the
bottom of a well at the
between the cities was
800 km,he calculated
Earth’s radius which Is
approximately 40 000 km.
TA:Object’s height
Eratosthenis gave
TΣ:Shadow’s length
the correct answer
TI:Distance from Earth’s equator
while using
bars,his eyes and
feet, as well as the power
of his mind and resource-
fulness.His calculations
were 2% from being per-
fect,something that
makes it a great achieve-
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