Warp schrieb:
> 
>   I don't think that the curvature of Earth played a significant role in
> the distances involved (probably like a thousand kilometers at most,
> relatively close to the equator).

Indeed. I guess they'd have "re-calibrated" the cart daily whenever 
possible. Sunrise or sunset would have been a good opportunity. So the 
device would have had to work for typical distances of, say, some 100 
km: Two days' travel for a human (I don't think a traveling band would 
have had the luxury of a cart ride for all at that time), allowing for 
an occasional day good enough for traveling but too bad to get a vector 
to the morning or evening sun and no chance of asking any locals where 
exactly south might be.

And the precision required would have been quite a deal lower than for, 
say, finding Baker Street 22a after having made so many U-turns - all 
they needed was a rough vector to the next village.

Post a reply to this message