We all know that the earth is not spherical, so it has a different diameter when measured on the

equator and between the poles. According to NASA, the equatorial radius is 6378 km and the polar
radius is 6357 km, that is the earth is a flattened sphere!

When your teacher says this value, did you ever ask how scientist come up with this value? Or during
the discussions, did you ask yourself how did the people of the past calculated it?

Around 200 B.C., Erastosthenes of Alexiandria applied Aristotle’s idea that to measure the diameter
(twice the radius) of the earth and applied his own ingenuity! He should use the stars as a reference,
find the distance between two locations, and find the angle of inclination of light that is shining over
those regions. The information that can be gathered is enough to measure the earth!

During summer solstice , June 21 , 240 B.C. Erastothenes have learned about the well in Syene( today
Aswan, Egypt) . This well is special because the sun’s rays reaches the bottom of the well only one day of
the year and that is on that day. Having known about it, he set this point as a reference point.

Then using his vertical stick, known as gnomon, by using the length of the shadow casted by the stick
and by knowing the length of the stick, the angle of the sun rays that it makes relative to axis of the stick
can be determined. When he placed that stick at Alexandria, the angle is 7.2 degrees. Then he travelled
to Syrene and mounted the same stick on the well. The sun is completely above him.

Alexandria

Sun’s Rays

Syen EARTH
e
The distance between Syrene and Alexandria have been a common knowledge that time as 5000 stades(
1 stade= 0.157 km).

The circumference of the earth can be related to the radius, using the equation

𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑟𝑐 = 𝑟 ∗ 𝜃
7.2°∗2𝜋
785 𝑘𝑚 = 𝑟 ∗ 360°

6247𝑘𝑚 = 𝑟(𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ)

Where 𝜋 = 3.141592654

Erastothenes measured the polar radius of the earth, and the calculated value is just 1.7% away from
the exact value of the radius of the earth!

Why does this matter?

It is a matter of feeding the curious minds with knowledge! We stand on the shoulders of the past, that’s
why we see a better view of the word now!