On Mon 2005-01-24T00:50:10 -0800, Tom Van Baak hath writ: > Isn't knowing when noon is already a specialist operation? > I mean, most people could tell you when noon is to within > an hour or two or three, but finer than that requires a far > amount of daily mental calculation, no?
Noon has long required a calendar, an almanac, a longitude, and the ability to perform addition and subtraction. This has long been something that could be presumed within the abilities of any locality big enough to call itself a town. The tasks of business, payroll, and banking demand that much. Sunrise and sunset have required haversines. That's why the newspapers publish them. Trigonometry was not required for simple civil life. -- Steve Allen UCO/Lick Observatory Santa Cruz, CA 95064 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice: +1 831 459 3046 http://www.ucolick.org/~sla PGP: 1024/E46978C5 F6 78 D1 10 62 94 8F 2E 49 89 0E FE 26 B4 14 93
