Chapter 6: The Prize Summary and Analysis

Chapter 6 focuses the primary goal of all the major characters in the book: win the prize by solving the problem of the Longitude. It introduces several early players - Thacket, Newton, Halley, Flamsteed and the Board of Longitude. Only Halley and the Board play a significant role in subsequent chapters. The committee for the Longitude Prize was formed in 1714 with the advice of Sir Isaac Newton and his friend and fellow astronomer Edmond Halley. Newton wrote that he was skeptical of a watch-based solution and thought the astronomical solutions were the way to go. The prize required the method to determine longitude within half a degree, but lesser amounts were offered for methods nearly as accurate. One half degree of longitude is thirty miles. The Longitude Act established the Board of Longitude, which had the authority to...