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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How accurate was the solution to longitude to be?

2. What was the problem with pendulum clocks on ships?

3. What year was Harrison born?

4. The placement of the prime meridian was a ____________ decision.

5. How long did Harrison work before receiving his monetary reward?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the story of Sir Clowdisley included in Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time?

2. Who were the early players in the longitude prize described in Chapter 6: The Prize. What role did they play?

3. Describe the legend of how Galileo came up with the idea of the pendulum clock.

4. What was King Charles II's role in solving the longitude problem?

5. What two advances did Thacker's chronometer make? Why did it still not work?

6. In 1530, Flemish astronomer Gemma Frisiusm wrote that the clocks of his day "provided no problem to those who traveled." In reality, what were the problems with clocks of his day for travel?

7. In 1740, the Centurion set sail for the South Pacific without Harrison's clock. What might have been different about the voyage if they would have taken the clock? Why?

8. What is the main difference, as identified in Chapter 1, between latitude and longitude?

9. Why did changes in temperature affect early clocks?

10. Compare Newton's thoughts about the solution of the longitude problem at the beginning of Chapter 6: The Prize to his thoughts at the end of the chapter.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Complete a historical analysis of John Harrison. How would you describe him? What qualities did he posses that helped him to be successful?

Essay Topic 2

What was the Longitude Act of 1714? What factors led to its creation? Do you think the Longitude Act spurred the quest for the solution to the longitude problem?

Essay Topic 3

By entitling her book, Longitude: The True Story of the Lone Genius that Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, Sobel seems to have a clear bias in her understanding of the history she portrays in her book. Using specific examples from the book, write an essay demonstrating ways in which Sobel's portrayal of history is biased towards Harrison.

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