Cornelis Douwes
Cornelis Douwes (born August 24, 1712 on Terschelling , † 1773 in Amsterdam ) was a Dutch scholar, mathematician and astronomer.
His grandfather of the same name was a preacher of the Mennonite congregation (Jan Jacobsz group) on the Dutch island of Terschelling.
Douwes became director of the Algemeen Zeemanscollegie in Amsterdam. He tried to make the two-height problem useful for shipping, so that one no longer had to rely on the height of the sun at noon (but could also use height measurements at other times), which made him internationally known. His nautical methods were used until the 19th century.
Publications
- Negotiating om buiten den Middag op Zee de waare Middags-Breedte te vinden. 1754.
- with Captain John Campbell: Tables for facilitating the solution of a very useful problem, for finding the latitude of a ship at sea: having the latitude by account, two observed altitudes of the sun, the time elapsed between the observations measured by a common watch , and the declination of the sun; with precepts and examples. W. and J. Richardson, 1769.
literature
- Ernst Crone: Cornelis Douwes, 1712–1773 zijn leven en zijn werk. Met inleidende hoofdstukken over navigatie en zeevaart-onderwijs in de 17de en 18de eeuw.
swell
- ↑ B. Boomstra P. Lautenbach: Reisgids voor Terschelling , p. 185.
- ↑ http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/douwes_cornelis
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Douwes, Cornelis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch mathematician and astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1712 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Terschelling |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1773 |
| Place of death | Amsterdam |