Discuss the problems that occurred while trying to determine longitude. How was the longitude problem finally solved?

Answer 1

· Longitude lines are imaginary grid lines that run pole to pole used, along with latitude measurements, to determine location coordinates. They measure the angle of a particular location in reference to the prime meridian. They are always north and south measurements.
· The biggest issue with longitude is that it cannot be determined using celestial markers as with latitude. After setting a particular location as zero, longitude can be calculated using time. The Earth is 360 degrees in circumference, and completes a full rotation every 24 hours. Thus, every 15 degrees is equivalent to one hour of time.
· After it was determined that longitude could be found using time, another problem arose. In the early 18th century, clocks were propelled by a pendulum to keep accurate time. These clocks were not able to keep accurate time as they used pendulums which were useless on a rolling ship.
· John Harrison created a clock in 1728 that was able to keep accurate time while at sea. He called it a chronometer. It used a spring escapement instead of a pendulum, and this made it a good solution to the previously inferior clocks at sea.
· John Harrison built four chronometers total. The last model he made was only five seconds slow, which was an astonishing accomplishment for that time period.
· Eventually, John Harrison's clocks were able to be reproduced. This allowed Harrison to finally collect reward money for his invention. Captain Cook took one of Harrison's replicated clocks on his last two expeditions.