Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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In 1791, the Principal Triangulation of Great Britain began, it took 60 years and resulted in the first accurate map of Great Britain and Ireland. At the heart of this story stands the Great Theodolite, the precision instrument used to measure the land. Join Alexandra Rose, Curator of Earth Sciences as she explores the impact of this intriguing instrument.

If you're in London come and see the Great Theodolite and many other amazing scientific instruments on level 2 of the Science Museum in Science City 1550–1800: The Linbury Gallery. Find out more and book your tickets here: bit.ly/4807Jpg

#trigonometry #maps

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:34 The Principal Triangulation of Great Britain
02:42 The craftsman behind the Great Theodolite
03:58 The Prehistory of the project
04:56 What is triangulation?
06:32 Challenges
07:58 Closer look at the Great Theodolite

Footage sources:
Wikipedia
Flickr
Day of the tiles print: worldhistory.org/image/15689/the-day-of-the-tiles