Alberuni's IndiaAn account of the religion, philosophy, literature, geography, chronology, astronomy, customs, laws and astrology of India about . is the connection of this remarkwith the popular theory ? If he had concluded fromanalogy that that side of the earth which is opposedto the round one—I mean the lower half—was alsoround, and if he then had given his theory about theextent of the power of human vision as a result ofreflection, not as a result of the perception of thesenses, his theory would seem to have a certain foun-dation. With regard to Balabhadras definition of the exte
Alberuni's IndiaAn account of the religion, philosophy, literature, geography, chronology, astronomy, customs, laws and astrology of India about . is the connection of this remarkwith the popular theory ? If he had concluded fromanalogy that that side of the earth which is opposedto the round one—I mean the lower half—was alsoround, and if he then had given his theory about theextent of the power of human vision as a result ofreflection, not as a result of the perception of thesenses, his theory would seem to have a certain foun-dation. With regard to Balabhadras definition of the extentwhich may be reached by the human eye, we proposethe following calculation :— Let A B round the centre H represent the globe ofthe earth. B is tbe standiug-point of the observer; hisstature is B C. Further, wedraw the line C A, so that ittouches the earth. Now it is evident that thefield of vision is B A, whichwe suppose to be equal toJg- of the circle,ie. 3f degrees,if we divide the circle into360 degrees. According to the methodfollowed in the calculation of the mountain Meru (inchap, xxiii.), we divide the square of T A, 50,625, by. CHAPTER XXVI. 275 HT, 3431. So we get as quotient T C = o° 1445;and B C, the stature of the observer, is 0° 7 45. Our calculation is based on this, that H B, the sinustoius, is 3438. However, the radius of the earth is,according to the circumference which we have men-tioned, 795° 27 16 {yojana). If we measure B C bythis measure, it is = i yojana, 6 Itoscc, 1035 yards( = 57,035 yards). If we suppose B C to be equal to fouryards, it stands in the same relation to A T, accordingto the measure of the sine, as 57,035, the yardswhich we have found as the measure of the stature, toA T according to the measure of the sine, 225. Ifwe now calculate the sine, we find it to be 0° o 1 ^,and its arc has the same measure. However, each degreeof the rotundity of the earth represents the measure of13 yojana, 7 krosa, and 333 J yard
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectastrology, bookyear19
