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Topic: Torquetum


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In the News (Sun 6 Dec 09)

  
  ESI_RepInst.Torquetum
The torquetum or turquet is a complex and sophisticated instrument characteristic of Medieval astronomy and the Ptolemaic tradition.
A late observation in which a torquetum was involved was the observation of Spica in 1575 by Landgrave William IV working with Tycho Brahe.
The base of the torquetum lies on top of the pine frame and is held in place by three heavy bronze brackets modified from some brackets salvaged from discarded physics apparatus.
www.humboldt.edu /~rap1/EarlySciInstSite/Instruments/Torquetum/Turq.html   (3412 words)

  
 Torquetum
The first Torquetums are thought to have been built some time in the 13th century.
A Torquetum can be seen in the famous portrait ''The ambassadors'' (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger (e.g.
It is placed on the right side of the table right next to and above the elbow of the ambassador clad in a long brown coat or robe.
www.seattleluxury.com /encyclopedia/entry/Torquetum   (242 words)

  
 Reference.com/Encyclopedia/Torquetum
The torquetum or turquet is a medieval astronomical instrument designed to take and convert measurements made in three sets of coordinates: Horizon, equatorial, and ecliptic.
Though such an instrument was described by Ptolemy in a much earlier era, it is not certain if one was built at the time.
A torquetum can be seen in the famous portrait The ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger.
www.reference.com /browse/wiki/Torquetum   (209 words)

  
 Building and Using Maui’s Tanawa
Obviously, the torquetum was photographed during daylight hours, but a primary use of the instrument would be for stellar and planetary observations, and measurements of the Moon's motion.
The torquetum, an analogue computer, can tell us, without long and tedious calculation, at any time of the night when planets or the Moon are visible, what their angular distance is from the Sun, or from the first point of Aries, and/or from some bright star in their vicinity.
With our torquetum assembled, we can now start gathering a wealth of data, particularly the declination of the Sun at noon, and the equation of time (by contrasting our digital watches with the Sun's arrival on the south line every day).
www.21stcenturysciencetech.com /articles/fall01/Tanawa/tanawa.html   (2066 words)

  
 Pictures Interactive Picture2   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
On the top of the table, going from left to right, are: a celestial or star globe, a cylinder sundial (a very unusual mathematical instrument for telling the time), a quadrant, a polyhedral sundial, and a torquetum.
The torquetum, which was a very strange and unusual device even in Holbein's time, could be used to demonstrate co-ordinate systems in astronomy.
The polyhedral sundial is really only there so that Holbein could show off that he knew the maths behind how to paint this type of sundial which is in the shape of a dodecahedron.
www.mathsyear2000.org /pi/picture3.html   (665 words)

  
 Torquetum   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
This is a torquetum, an instrument first described by the ancient Greek scientist Ptolemy, which could be used to determine the relative positions of the heavenly bodies and tell the time with some accuracy.
Its complex construction allowed it to be adjusted for latitude and date; altitudes were measured against a plumbline on the pendant semicircular flap.
For a modern reconstruction and discussion see the entry for Torquetum in Richard A. Paselk's Medieval Science and Scientific Instruments site.
employees.oneonta.edu /farberas/arth/ARTH214/Torquetum.html   (140 words)

  
 Ancient Navigators Could Have Measured Longitude -- in Egypt in 232 B.C. !   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
To test the hypotheses, we built a wooden torquetum and used a simplified version of it to measure the change in angular distance between the Moon and the star Altair, in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle).
The torquetum's value, as an analogue calculator, must have been immense, because, once a planet or the Moon are not on the meridian, all "straight lines" become curves—so that calculations are difficult, even with a modern calculator.
Of the two torquetums surviving in the world, one belonged to Nicholas of Cusa, and the other to Regiomontanus, both of whom were involved in calendar reform, including setting the date of Easter, which, along with some other religious festivals, is dated by the interaction of the lunar and solar calendars.
www.freerepublic.com /focus/news/821404/posts   (4464 words)

  
 1421 - Evidence - Zheng He’s method of calculating latitude and longitude
Guo Shoujing also designed a new equatorial torquetum on which the positions of the sun, moon, ecliptic, Polaris and other key stars could be placed.
Guo Shou Jing’s equatorial torquetum could list other stars which would be available for use at local meridians across the globe.
Furthermore Guo Shou Jing’s simplified equatorial torquetum should have pointed at Polaris whose altitude was that of Beijing.
www.1421.tv /pages/evidence/content.asp?EvidenceID=459   (3283 words)

  
 Ancient Technology for Mapping   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
As part of the research team that sought to know how advanced the ancient navigational equipment and computers or astrolabes were, this man deserves credit he has not received; although it might be that credit would come in the form of ridicule such as was directed at Barraclough Fell.
The early one had no arc for angular calculation but the Torquetum required the perpendicular calculation which it would provide.
This important symbol is known as the T-Square of Ptah and the Masons claim they are the continuation of knowledge going back at least ten thousand years.
www.msjsoftware.com /articles/article.asp?ID=42118   (904 words)

  
 Volume 2/1
The rebus was found adjacent to a depiction of a torquetum (an early navigational instrument invented by Eratosthenes) in a cave in Sosorra, West Irian, by the Frobenius Expendition of 1937-1938.
Sentiel Rommel cooperated with Fell (whose translation of the rebus is given) and reconstructed the torquetum.
29 Maui's Tanawa — a Torquetum of 232 B.C. (7 pp)
www.epigraphy.org /volume_2_1.htm   (1872 words)

  
 Collections   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
The inclined surfaces of three plates, which represent the horizon, the equator and the ecliptic, are adjustable.
Because of this, the torquetum was suitable for all sorts of protraction.
Primarily used in astronomy, it was also employed in land surveying.
www.mkg-hamburg.de /english/Inhalt/samml/re3.htm   (90 words)

  
 art and science
The revival of interest in works from Ancient Greece, and particularly the views of Plato and his notions of transcendence, and the mathematical precision of the universe, challenged both the physical and intellectual limitations of explorers, scientists and artists.
The exploration of new worlds such as the voyage of Columbus, and the exploration of the heavens, the study of motion and optics triggered the development of instruments of exploration such as the globe, compasses, the quadrant, the torquetum, the sexton and the telescope.
Artists who were also interested in science, mathematics and global exploration were quick to incorporate these instruments into their paintings.
www.csupomona.edu /~plin/ls201/renaissance2.html   (513 words)

  
 Wheel (via CobWeb/3.1 planetlab2.cs.unc.edu)   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
The spoked Wheel was in continued use without major modification until the early 20th century.
The invention of the Wheel turned out to be of great importance not only as a transportation device, but for the development of technology in general, important applications including the water wheel, the cogwheel (see also Antikythera mechanism), the spinning wheel, the astrolabe or torquetum.
More modern descendents of the Wheel include the propeller, the jet engine, the flywheel (gyroscope) and the turbine.
wheel.iqnaut.net.cob-web.org:8888   (615 words)

  
 MKG Hamburg - Collections / European Collections / Torquetum
Although the German name for this object “Turk’s Instrument” suggests otherwise, this type of equipment was in fact developed by Western scholars.
Since the inclination of its three main plates, representing the horizon, the equator and the ecliptic, is adjustable, the torquetum was suitable for a large variety of measurements of angles.
Primarily used for astronomic studies, it was also employed for land surveying.
www.mkg-hamburg.de /mkg.php/en/sammlungen/europaeisch/~P8?SIZE=large   (137 words)

  
 Ancient Navigators Could Have Measured Longitude!
It is important to note that we are not claiming here that we know everything about the torquetum.
To take things out of the realm of speculation, the only solution was to build a torquetum, and see if longitude could be determined by using sightings of the Moon, with simple backyard equipment; if this succeeded, then Navigator Maui could have also succeeded.
PROBABLE ROUTE OF THE EGYPTIAN VOYAGE IN 232 B.C. Deciphered rock and cave inscriptions from the Pacific islands, western New Guinea, and Santiago, Chile, tell of an Egyptian flotilla that set sail around 232 B.C., during the reign of Ptolemy III, on a mission to circumnavigate the globe.
21stcenturysciencetech.com /articles/fall01/navigators/navigators.html   (1345 words)

  
 The-Gardening-Zone: Plant part diagram   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
As part of the research party that sought to exemplify how enterprising the aged navigational equipment and computers or astrolabes were, this man deserves credit he has not received; although it might be that credit would appear in the form of ridicule such as was directed at Barraclough Fell.
The early one had no arc for angular calculation but the Torquetum indispensable the upright calculation which it would provide.
This famous emblem is responsive as the T-Square of Ptah and the Masons claim they are the continuation of knowledge going back at least ten thousand years.
www.the-gardening-zone.com /Plant-Need-Water/Plant-Part-Diagram.htm   (1202 words)

  
 Regiomontanus and the Armillary Sphere
In his letter of 1469 to Archbishop Vitez of Gran, introducing a tract he had written on the torquetum, Regiomontanus listed the armillary sphere among the various kinds of observational instrument.
A description he wrote of the armillary sphere appeared on his tradelist of intended publications.
The tract on the armillary sphere appeared, along with accounts of the torquetum, Ptolemaic rulers, and astronomical staff, in the Scripta clarissimi mathematici Ioannis Regiomontani (Nuremberg, 1544) compiled by Johann Sch?ner (1477-1547) from the astronomer's manuscripts.
www.hps.cam.ac.uk /starry/regioarmill.html   (304 words)

  
 ReadingGroupGuides.com - Lost Discoveries by Dick Teresi
This instrument was a tremendous tool for demonstrating and computing the movements of heavenly bodies.
An advanced version of the armillary sphere is the torquetum, first invented by Arabs sometime between A.D. 1000 and 1200.
In 1270 Kuo Shou-Ching made a metal torquetum called the "simplified instrument." It was purely equatorial, with all the Arab ecliptic components left out.
www.readinggroupguides.com /guides3/lost_discoveries3.asp   (3565 words)

  
 A Sidereal Pointer
This knowledge will help you to locate where you are and to obtain a new and more aware relationship with the sky.
This instrument, which was once known as a Torquetum, was first described by the ancient Greek scientist Ptolemy.
Subsequently it seems this first model was perfected or reinvented by an Arab astronomer in the XI or XII century.
www.funsci.com /fun3_en/sider/sider.htm   (7867 words)

  
 Sarah Et Cetera - Holy Crispy Crap
The ficathon piece that ate my face is posted.
A torquetum is an ancient, analog computer designed to take three measurements: horizon, equitorial and ecliptic.
It'll be worth the wait and I'm hoping there will be more fics like "Torquetum" to help tide me over.
sarahetc.livejournal.com /4127.html   (269 words)

  
 Gudrun Wolfschmidt: A Historian Looks at Astronomy in the Classroom.   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
Especially interesting is the torquetum, a rare instrument, of which Apian published a description in Nuremberg, in 1532.
He used it for observing comets - as Regiomontanus in 1472 and Peter of Limoges in 1299 had done before.
The principle of the torquetum, a universal instrument for measuring the coordinates of the stars in three different systems, goes back to Gabir ibn Aflah (11th/12th centuries) of Seville ('Machina collectitia Gebri Hispalensis') and was described in detail by Franco de Polonia in 1284 ('turcetum').
www.math.uni-hamburg.de /math/ign/xyz/ca00-v5.htm   (3681 words)

  
 Middle Ages astronomy devices/inventions... - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum
Forerunner to many of today's nevigation instruments; and still used in one way or another; simply because it's so bloody easy to make one - just a straight stick marked in degrees; and a crossbar that moves to calculate the angle between two points.
If, on the other hand; you've got some time, are pretty damn good with tools, and want seriously high marks; try making a Torquetum.
You might want to try building a meridian, but that will take more time than I'm assuming you have.
www.bautforum.com /showthread.php?t=10765   (1395 words)

  
 ESI-MedSciWrkshps:MedAst_TimeInst
You will find additional details about these instruments and techniques on my web-site.
I have brought three instruments that I have made over the years: an armillary sphere (a Ptolomaic, or Earth-centered, model of the Universe), a planispheric astrolabe (a combination observational tool and 2-D model of the heavens), and a torquetum (a complex observational tool, which also illustrates different reference frames useful for astronomical observation).
Detailed descriptions of these instruments are available via the instrument page on my web-site.
www.humboldt.edu /~rap1/EarlySciInstSite/Workshops/MedAstTimeInstF04.htm   (653 words)

  
 Innovative Teaching - The Middle Ages
This site will help you make it happen, with a look at all kinds of information on everything from alchemists to societies and programs of the time.
The links on instruments, for example, include the astrolabe, the armillary sphere, the torquetum and the water clock.
Not all the links work, but what is available is truly worthwhile for student researchers wanting to learn more.
surfaquarium.com /newsletter/medieval.htm   (1376 words)

  
 FABRI, Ottavio, L’Uso del la Squadra Mobile con la Quale per Teorica et per practica.
By adding a magnetic compass for taking bearings, this became the circumferentor, a semicircular modification of which was called a graphometer.
Whether by combining circumferentors in vertical or horizontal planes, or by adapting the older instrument known as the torquetum, the theodolite evolved as a universal measuring instrument.The preliminaries of this work appear to have been reset at least once during printing in order to include a new dedicatee.
They thus vary considerably from one copy to the next.
www.polybiblio.com /marta/1852.html   (345 words)

  
 Junk Art   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-05)
First, I came to the conclusion that a scientific instrument which has been obsolete for over four centuries becomes more art than science.
Since I had constructed my Torquetum from mostly recycled materials, I replaced the couple of new parts with recycled parts to give a 100% recycled object to fulfill the requirements of the competition and entered it.
Unfortunately I found out after the competition that folks couldn't believe it was actually 100% recycled - it looked too good!
www.tidepool.com /~rpaselk/Projects/JunkArt.html   (513 words)

  
 ANTIQUE HOSUM STAR GLOBE BY H. T. HUGHES OF LONDON NAUTICAL MARITIME NAVIGATION INSTRUMENT ANTIQUE FOR SALE | FREIGHT ...
It is argued that this voyage could have demonstrated Eratosthenes' theorem that the world was round, and measured approximately 24,500 miles in circumference?
This is the forerunner of many navigation instruments, such as the Star Globe offered for sale above.
"Maui's Tanawa: A Torquetum of 232 B.C.," by Sentiel Rommel, Ph.D., 21st Century, Spring 1999, p.
www.solarnavigator.net /antiques_nautical_hughes_star_globe.htm   (914 words)

  
 Chinese Science, Inventions, and Discoveries
Equal temperament tuning of musical instruments (which enables one to play them in any key) (Chu Tsai-Yü).
Equatorial mounted torquetum (the equatorial or “modern” mount, which is aligned with the celestial pole, was commonly used with observational instruments, including the torquetum, and is commonly used with telescopes to this day)  (Kuo Shou-Ching).
Use of numerical equations of higher degrees than third (those with such values as x
www.villarevak.org /cathay/invention.html   (2013 words)

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