Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2005

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Foreword-Chapter 5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Explain what longitude is and latitude are. Why has one historically been hard for mariners to find and the other easy?

Why was England so concerned with finding a method for determining longitude? What role did the Royal Greenwich Observatory play in solving the problem?

How did John Harrison’s clocks solve the longitude problem? Give an example of how this might work at sea.

How did the astronomers' lunar method solve the longitude problem? Give an example of how this might work at sea.

Both the lunar method and Harrison’s clocks developed over the course of decades. What does this timeframe tell us about the scientific process and the nature of “breakthroughs”?

What were the advantages and drawbacks of the sea clock method for determining longitude?

What were the advantages and drawbacks of the lunar method for determining longitude?

Discuss the various factors that delayed the awarding of the prize to Harrison. What do these delays say about him and about the political climate he was operating within?

Compare and contrast Harrison and Maskelyne, as Sobel depicts them. How might temperamental differences have played a role in their rivalry?

10.

You’re out on the high seas, and the sun is directly overhead. What time is it at your location? Your chronometer says that Universal Time is 15:00. If one hour of rotation equals 15 degrees, how many degrees are you from Greenwich, England, the site of the Prime Meridian? EXTRA CREDIT: Given that the Earth rotates from west to east, in which direction are you from Greenwich?