On Mon 2005-01-24T00:50:10 -0800, Tom Van Baak hath writ:
> Isn't knowing when noon is already a specialist operation?
> I mean, most people could tell you when noon is to within
> an hour or two or three, but finer than that requires a far
> amount of daily mental calculation, no?
Noon has long required a calendar, an almanac, a longitude, and the
ability to perform addition and subtraction. This has long been
something that could be presumed within the abilities of any locality
big enough to call itself a town. The tasks of business, payroll,
and banking demand that much.
Sunrise and sunset have required haversines. That's why the
newspapers publish them. Trigonometry was not required for simple
civil life.
--
Steve Allen UCO/Lick Observatory Santa Cruz, CA 95064
sla_at_ucolick.org Voice: +1 831 459 3046 http://www.ucolick.org/~sla
PGP: 1024/E46978C5 F6 78 D1 10 62 94 8F 2E 49 89 0E FE 26 B4 14 93
Received on Mon Jan 24 2005 - 01:29:24 PST