Quadrant (instrument) - Wikipedia
WEBA large frame quadrant at the Beijing Ancient Observatory. It was constructed in 1673. A quadrant is an instrument used to measure angles up to 90°. Different versions of this instrument could be used to calculate various readings, such as …
Quadrant | nautical instrument | Britannica
WEBnautical instrument. Learn about this topic in these articles: invention by Hadley. In John Hadley. …of Philadelphia, Hadley invented a quadrant (actually a double-reflecting octant) for measuring the altitude of the Sun or a star above …
Navigating to the Sextant | Naval History Magazine - June 2020, …
WEBThe solution was the quadrant. Versions of the device had been around for centuries, but it was not until it was adapted for use at sea that it came into its own. A marine quadrant was composed of a quarter circle (hence the name) of wood or …
Quadrant - Ages of Exploration - Mariners' Museum and Park
WEBIt was simply a device for measuring the angular height of a star or the sun. Surveyors could use it to measure the height of a building or a mountain. It was even used to help aim a cannon to hit an enemy fortress. For the sailor, it was first used to measure the height of Polaris, the Pole star.
Sextant vs. Quadrant: What’s the Difference?
WEBSep 28, 2023 · A sextant is a navigational instrument measuring angular distances, while a quadrant is both a quarter of a circle and an instrument measuring altitudes in navigation or astronomy.
Navigational Instruments - Celestial Navigation
WEBQUADRANT. This instrument, shaped like a quarter of a circle, measured the angle from the vertical – not horizontal – and the line of sight to the body. It was suspended from a ring and had a weighted line hanging down, which crossed one …
Navigation and Related Instruments in 16th-Century England
WEBApr 14, 2015 · The quadrant, shaped like a quarter-circle, was another hand-held instrument of wood or brass. The user measured the altitude of Polaris by sighting through a peephole and taking a reading where a short …
Quadrant - History of Science Museum, Oxford
WEBA quadrant is a mathematical or an astronomical instrument featuring a graduated arc encompassing a quarter of a full circle or 90?. Astronomical quadrants were used mainly for determining the altitude of a celestial body above the horizon.
Quadrant - U.S. National Park Service
WEBJan 5, 2022 · First used in the fifteenth century, the quadrant was the most popular navigational tool of the mid-eighteenth century. In order to determine his ship's position at sea, a sailor would use this instrument to measure the angle of the sun over the horizon at noon, and then use that measurement to calculate his vessel’s latitude.
Quadrant - SpringerLink
WEBThe quadrant is an instrument which was used for measuring angles and for making astronomical calculations. Apart from those for the accurate observation of altitude, known to us almost entirely from written descriptions, the quadrants of …
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