The terms longitude and latitude were first used bya)Herodotusb)Eratos...
The terms longitude and latitude were first used by Eratosthenes. Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria.
The terms longitude and latitude were first used bya)Herodotusb)Eratos...
The correct answer is option 'B', Eratosthenes.
Eratosthenes was a Greek mathematician, geographer, and astronomer who lived in the third century BCE. He is credited with being the first person to use the terms longitude and latitude.
Eratosthenes was the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria, which was one of the most important centers of learning in the ancient world. During his time at the library, he conducted extensive research and made significant contributions to various fields, including geography.
Eratosthenes is best known for his calculation of the Earth's circumference. He used a method involving the measurement of the angle of the sun at two different locations to estimate the Earth's size. Based on his calculations, he determined that the Earth was approximately 39,375 kilometers in circumference, which is remarkably close to the actual value.
While working on his calculations, Eratosthenes divided the Earth into a grid of lines running from north to south (longitude) and from east to west (latitude). He used these lines to measure the distance between different locations on the Earth's surface accurately.
Eratosthenes coined the term "longitude" to refer to the lines running from north to south. The term is derived from the Greek word "longos," which means long. He used this term to describe the lines that are parallel to the Prime Meridian and measure the angular distance east or west of it.
Likewise, Eratosthenes also introduced the term "latitude" to refer to the lines running from east to west. The term is derived from the Latin word "latus," which means wide. He used this term to describe the lines that are parallel to the Equator and measure the angular distance north or south of it.
Eratosthenes' work laid the foundation for modern geographic coordinate systems and greatly contributed to our understanding of the Earth's shape and size. His use of the terms longitude and latitude continues to be widely used in geography and navigation to this day.
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