153:
330:
133:
20:
62:
joined the team. The expedition arrived in Tornio on June 19, 1736, spent the rest of 1736 making measurements, and returned to France on June 10, 1737. By measuring the length of the arc, Maupertuis's team was able to prove that the Earth is, indeed,
120:
Thus, Sir, You See the Earth is Oblate, according to the Actual
Measurements, as it has been already found by the Law of Staticks: and this flatness appears even more considerable than Sir Isaac Newton thought it. Maupertuis' Letter to
152:
108:
After analyzing their data, they found that the length of 1 degree of latitude to be 57,422 toise in
Lapland. The other expedition to Ecuador found it to be 56,734 toise in Ecuador.
101:. They also performed astronomical observations to determine their latitude. After reaching Kittisvaara, they turned back and reached Tornio in winter. They then laid out a 8.4-mile
97:
After arriving in Tornio in summer, the team moved north along the Meänmaa valley, making precise angle measurements between reference points to lay down a system of
224:. A general collection of the best and most interesting voyages and travels in all parts of the world (Vol. 1 ed.). London: Pinkerton. pp. 259–336.
94:'s length – about 111 km. The south end of the arc was at the tower of the church of Tornio, the north end was at the hill of Kittisvaara.
78:, have given us much information about the nature and culture of 18th-century Lapland, and the books have inspired many travellers to head to Meänmaa.
371:
175:
395:
405:
400:
116:
region in 1669, finding a figure of 57,060 toise. Together, these figures showed the shape of the earth to be oblate.
364:
36:
390:
98:
200:
55:
32:
129:
Later, Euler used figures from these expeditions, as well as later data, to compute the shape of the earth.
410:
39:
for measuring the shape of the Earth. One expedition was sent to
Ecuador to perform measurements near the
357:
102:
75:
329:
306:
267:
148:. The expedition team reached Tornio, proceeded upriver to Kittisvaara, then returned to Tornio.
298:
259:
179:
145:
141:
19:
341:
271:
251:
239:
132:
91:
59:
384:
122:
48:
87:
68:
255:
109:
64:
44:
302:
263:
204:
310:
286:
337:
105:
and used wooden rods to measure its length to an accuracy of 4 inches.
40:
113:
151:
131:
18:
222:
Journal of a voyage to the North in the years 1736 and 1737
74:
The books describing this trip, written by
Maupertuis and
345:
176:"Maupertuis'n astemittaus Tornionlaaksossa 1736-1737"
287:"Marginalia: The Shape of the Earth. Part III"
365:
8:
372:
358:
125:, third Astronomer Royal of Great Britain.
240:"Euler and the Flattening of the Earth"
166:
58:. As Swedish representative, professor
54:The expedition to Meänmaa was led by
7:
326:
324:
233:
231:
344:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
201:Maupertuis, Pierre-Louis Moreau de
86:The team measured the length of a
29:French Geodesic Mission to Lapland
23:Tornio Church. Drawing by Outhier.
14:
47:to perform measurements near the
328:
35:carried out in 1736–1737 by the
1:
272:10.4169/mathhorizons.21.1.25
256:10.4169/mathhorizons.21.1.25
178:(in Finnish). Archived from
16:1736–7 scientific expedition
220:Outhier, RĂ©ginald (1808) .
427:
323:
285:Fernie, J. Donald (1992).
37:French Academy of Sciences
396:History of Earth science
136:Traditional location of
43:; the other was sent to
406:Expeditions from France
206:The figure of the earth
112:had surveyed the Paris-
56:Pierre Louis Maupertuis
340:-related article is a
238:Heine, George (2013).
157:
149:
127:
65:flattened at the poles
24:
155:
135:
118:
90:of approximately one
22:
156:Commemorating stamp.
31:was one of the two
401:Arctic expeditions
291:American Scientist
174:Piippola, Takalo.
158:
150:
25:
353:
352:
142:Norrbotten County
33:geodesic missions
418:
391:Geodetic surveys
374:
367:
360:
332:
325:
315:
314:
282:
276:
275:
235:
226:
225:
217:
211:
210:
197:
191:
190:
188:
187:
171:
76:RĂ©ginald Outhier
426:
425:
421:
420:
419:
417:
416:
415:
381:
380:
379:
378:
321:
319:
318:
284:
283:
279:
237:
236:
229:
219:
218:
214:
199:
198:
194:
185:
183:
173:
172:
168:
163:
146:Finnish Lapland
84:
71:had predicted.
17:
12:
11:
5:
424:
422:
414:
413:
408:
403:
398:
393:
383:
382:
377:
376:
369:
362:
354:
351:
350:
333:
317:
316:
297:(2): 125–127.
277:
227:
212:
192:
165:
164:
162:
159:
99:triangulations
83:
80:
60:Anders Celsius
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
423:
412:
411:Geodesy stubs
409:
407:
404:
402:
399:
397:
394:
392:
389:
388:
386:
375:
370:
368:
363:
361:
356:
355:
349:
347:
343:
339:
334:
331:
327:
322:
312:
308:
304:
300:
296:
292:
288:
281:
278:
273:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
244:Math Horizons
241:
234:
232:
228:
223:
216:
213:
208:
207:
202:
196:
193:
182:on 2007-12-11
181:
177:
170:
167:
160:
154:
147:
144:(Sweden) and
143:
139:
134:
130:
126:
124:
123:James Bradley
117:
115:
111:
106:
104:
100:
95:
93:
89:
81:
79:
77:
72:
70:
66:
61:
57:
52:
50:
49:Arctic Circle
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
21:
346:expanding it
335:
320:
294:
290:
280:
250:(1): 25–29.
247:
243:
221:
215:
205:
195:
184:. Retrieved
180:the original
169:
137:
128:
119:
107:
96:
88:meridian arc
85:
73:
69:Isaac Newton
53:
28:
26:
110:Jean Picard
385:Categories
186:2008-03-23
161:References
303:0003-0996
264:1072-4117
209:. London.
311:29774598
203:(1738).
103:baseline
338:geodesy
138:Meänmaa
82:Results
67:as Sir
45:Meänmaa
41:Equator
309:
301:
270:
262:
114:Amiens
92:degree
336:This
307:JSTOR
268:JSTOR
342:stub
299:ISSN
260:ISSN
27:The
252:doi
140:in
387::
305:.
295:80
293:.
289:.
266:.
258:.
248:21
246:.
242:.
230:^
51:.
373:e
366:t
359:v
348:.
313:.
274:.
254::
189:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.