Re: OT world history: other measuring systems?

[jbf via ntg-context <ntg-context@ntg.nl>]

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Just be careful, though (writing as a native English speaker), because 
the word 'polymath' for English speaker is not a reference to 
mathematicians at all. (Greek/mathē/ means 'learning' not mathematics). 
Translators are well aware of the danger of homonyms, and if you go for 
a title like Manual for Polymathematicians, then the word is being 
wrongly used. There is a word 'polymath' in English, but not 
'polymathematician', unless of course you make it clear that it is 
merely a play on words. But personally, I'd avoid that.

Julian

On 26/1/22 20:36, Hans Hagen via ntg-context wrote:
> On 1/26/2022 10:23 AM, Jean-Pierre Delange via ntg-context wrote:
>> In line with what Otared writes about the measurement of distances in 
>> the context of Persia and ancient Rome, I am always very surprised to 
>> see the precision of the measurements in the evaluation of the 
>> circumference of the earth by Eratosthenes of Cyrene. What intrigues 
>> me is not really the geometry calculations involved, but the 
>> calculation of the distance between Aswan and Alexandria. There is 
>> little information on the taking of this measurement: is it Egyptian 
>> surveyors (bematists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bematist) or the 
>> use of an instrument equivalent to a pedometer? see here: 
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes
>    Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek polymath ...
>
> Ah ... that makes a great subtitle for Mikaels upcoming math manual: 
> "A manual for polymathematicians"
>
>    A polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, polymathēs, "having learned much";
>
> and then we can talk 'polymathematical typesetting' and such (I'm sure 
> that Arthur can come up with a reflective historical tex-talk.)
>
> Hans
>
>
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