In the eighteenth century, marine navigation faced a major obstacle: sailors could not accurately determine their longitude at sea, leading to costly and dangerous shipwrecks. The British Parliament offered a massive financial reward to anyone who could solve this issue. While astronomers argued that mapping the moon and stars was the only viable path, self-taught clockmaker John Harrison proposed a mechanical solution. Harrison designed and built the H4, a highly precise marine chronometer that could maintain accurate time despite the motion of a ship and changes in temperature. Ultimately, Harrison’s invention revolutionized navigation, proving that mechanical timekeeping was superior to astronomical observations for determining location at sea.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
- ATo argue that mechanical inventions are generally more valuable to society than theoretical science.
- BTo detail the financial rewards offered by the British Parliament to eighteenth-century inventors.
- To describe how John Harrison's invention of a precise marine chronometer solved a major navigation problem.Cevap
- DTo explain the specific astronomical formulas sailors used to calculate their position before the chronometer.