Biography of Eratosthenes, Greek Mathematician and Geographer

SOLVED: Circumference of the Earth The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes (ca. 276-195 B.C.) measured the circumference of the earth from the following observations. He noticed that on a certain day the sun shone directly down a deep well in Syene (modern Aswan). At the same time in Alexandria, 500 miles north (on the same meridian), the rays of the sun shone at an angle of 7.2^∘ to the zenith. Use this information and the figure to find the radius and circumference of the earth.

Circumference of the Earth The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes (ca. 276-195 B.C.) measured the circumference of the earth from the following observations. He noticed that on a certain day the sun shone directly down a deep well in Syene (modern Aswan). At the same time in Alexandria, 500 miles north (on the same meridian), the rays of the sun shone at an angle of 7.2^∘ to the zenith. Use this information and the figure to find the radius and circumference of the earth. | Numerade