Maupertuis Measuring Meridian Arc in the Arctic Circle

In the 1730s, the shape of the Earth became a flashpoint in the battle among rival systems of mechanics. Maupertuis, based on his exposition of Newton, predicted that the Earth should be oblate, while his rival Jacques Cassini measured it astronomically to be prolate. In 1736 Maupertuis acted as chief of the French Geodesic Mission sent by King Louis XV to Lapland to measure the length of a degree of arc of the meridian in order to determine the shape of the earth. His results, which he published in a book detailing his procedures, essentially settled the controversy in his favor. Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (July 17, 1698 - July 27, 1759) was a French polymath. Engraving from 'Vies des savants illustres' by Louis Figuier. This image has been coloured.

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