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Sir William Thomson and the Intercept Method

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

Charles H. Cotter
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Extract

The year 1971 marked the first centenary of the publication of a paper on navigation which appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London in which the author, Sir William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) described a new method of determining an astronomical position line. The method was impracticable and was not, therefore, adopted by practical seamen. Nevertheless, its design is ingenious and interesting, and an investigation of its principles adds lustre to the genius of its inventor—reputedly one of the most eminent philosophers of the nineteenth century. Although the method failed in the eyes of the mariners for whom it was intended, Thomson sparked off an interest in short-method tables which has persisted even to the present day.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 1972 , pp. 91 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 1972

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References

REFERENCES

1SirThomson, William (1871). On the determination of a ship's place from observations of altitude. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 19.Google Scholar
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3Airy, G. B. (1871). Remarks on the determination of a ship's position at sea. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 19.Google Scholar
4SirThomson, William (1871). Amended Rule for working out Simmer's method of finding a ship's place. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 19.Google Scholar
5 Saint-Hilaire, R. Marcq de Blond de (1875). Calcul du point observé. Revue Maritime et Colonials, Vol. 46.Google Scholar