James Cook

8 hours ago 3

Navigation and science: footnote on how Cook checked the accuracy of chronometers that he tested. Hough page numbers for ref come from a Kindle edition, so please check for accuracy; mention of temperature variations for chronometer checking; footnote on other manufacturer's chronometer checking and the relevance of Cook's comments to the ultimate wider production of these instruments.

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On his second and third voyages, Cook carried [[Larcum Kendall#K1|Larcum Kendall's K1 chronometer]]{{snd}}a copy of [[John Harrison#H4|John Harrison's H4]]{{snd}}to test if it could accurately keep time for extended periods while withstanding the violent motions of a ship. It performed well and thus made a key contribution to solving the [[History of longitude|longitude problem]] that had plagued mariners for centuries.{{sfn|Hough|1994| pp=192–193, 197, 236}} Cook praised the timepiece profusely.{{sfn|Hough|1994|pp=197,236}}
On his second and third voyages, Cook carried [[Larcum Kendall#K1|Larcum Kendall's K1 chronometer]]{{snd}}a copy of [[John Harrison#H4|John Harrison's H4]]{{snd}}to test if it could accurately keep time for extended periods while withstanding the violent motions of a ship and the temperature changes of different climates.{{efn|Cook checked the timekeeping of the chronometers that he tested by using the [[Lunar distance (navigation)|lunar distance]] method.{{sfn|Hough|1994|pp=287-288}}}} It performed well and thus made a key contribution to solving the [[History of longitude|longitude problem]] that had plagued mariners for centuries.{{sfn|Hough|1994| pp=192–193, 197, 236}} Cook praised the timepiece profusely.{{efn|Cook's also tested chronometers made by another manufacturer on his second voyage, [[John Arnold (watchmaker)|James Arnold]]. Three instruments by Arnold were carried, but these did not perform well. Cook's report, and the consequent cessation of the Board of Longitude's funding to Arnold, caused him to make significant improvements to his design. The result, completed in 1779, was a pocket chronometer of particularly good performance. Arnold's advantage as a manufacturer was that he was able to produce chronometers in quantity, unlike Harrison's more limited output. He was the first watchmaker to make effective chronometers in volume.<ref name="Sobel 2011">{{cite book |last1=Sobel |first1=Dava |last2=Armstrong |first2=Neil |title=Longitude: the true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time |date=2011 |publisher=Harper Perennial |location=London New York Toronto Sydney New Delhi |isbn=9780007214228}}</ref>}}{{rp|181}}}}{{sfn|Hough|1994|pp=197,236}}
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